


Wisp

by space_gay001



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Found Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Other, Some characters only mentioned, The Return of Them beta, The moon is a character, Trans Male Character, charlie is pretty evil, gore in later chapters, i enjoy torturing them Too Much, love her as a sympathetic villain but def played up the villain part, tried a more platonic approach with them, wendy and webber are best kids, will probably be outdated with new updates, wilson and maxwell are sorta together at the end, wisp is babey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-07-25 23:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20033863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/space_gay001/pseuds/space_gay001
Summary: Wisp is an entity created to watch over the moon. They watch The Constant down below with interest, but don't get to live in it until the balance between shadows and the moon's power is disrupted. Through an unexpected fall, they come down to the surface and intend to help the survivors, and hopefully prevent an all out war with the shadows.





	1. Prologue

All they had ever known was the moon. One day, a winged creature of light simple came into existence, fully grown but like a child in their curiosity. They watched the smaller creatures live out their lives; the leafy chameleons fought over the best hot spring, the spiders that grew luminous crystals that would shed off their bodies, the carrats popping in and out of the ground in play.They watched the Gestalts float through reality itself, sometimes there and sometimes not. Eventually the creature on the moon named themselves for the wisp-like beings that called it home; Wisp spent their days exploring and playing with the other denizens of their home.

One day Wisp heard the moon speak. The unknown voice rumbled from the very ground itself, speaking not in words but in thoughts. The moon child learned of the sky, the planets, the light and shadows, knowledge that suddenly came to them from the moon itself. The moon told them that they were born to protect its surface; a monarch to keep the heavens safe from the shadows below. Wisps didn't know what the big deal was, the shadows were mere flecks on the strange green world in the sky, too far away to even reach the glowing haven. Nevertheless, the moon slowly prepared them to survive away from home.

Wisp learned to use the wings of light on their back to fly through the thin atmosphere, using more will and magic than aerodynamics. They learned to channel the faint pulse of power from the heavenly body to shine darkness away, to heal from injuries, and to push their stamina farther. Usually they neglected their teachings in favor of playing, which they mostly got away with, but as the years passed the moon pushed they with more urgency. They began to see why when the world below began to change.

For most of their life, the planet was featureless and blank. They showed no interest until trees so different from their own began growing. Bushes and long grass, then small creatures appeared frolicking below. More and more kinds of life faded into the spotlight, as though some god was breathing life into existence. The whole thing was terribly fascinating, and Wisp neglected their duties more and more in favor of observing the new backdrop of their sky. Every so often, they would notice changes in the scenery; patches of different types of ground would appear, the animals would become more aggressive, or more colorful. When they asked, the moon told them that the world below was ruled by a monarch like them, humans that painted a new stage for the entertainment of the shadows. It would not explain what humans were, only that they were creatures from another world. Wisp thought it would be nice to meet them. 

They didn't get to meet any, but they saw humans every now and then running through the patchwork of colors below. They looked, surprisingly, a lot like Wisp. Minus the wings, they had the same two arm and legs, similar shapes and hair, and even walked the same way. Wisp immediately wanted to fly down and meet them, but the moon forbade it. Sulking, Wisp settled for watching whenever they got the chance. The humans tried to make homes for themselves, but were often chased away by the many vicious creatures. Sometimes they would stop altogether and simply lie there. The moon explained what dying was, and Wisp decided to never experience _that_. Sometimes the humans would get up again, sometimes their bodies faded away into nothing. They were always sad to see them disappear. The ones that got back up always captivated them, and they would take more notice of their activities. One with dark hair, one of the later ones to arrive, was always building new things and exploring the world. Another with similar dark hair was always surrounded by a flickering orange light. One was smaller and blonde; a reflection always trailed after them. People of all shapes and sizes would run into each other, sometimes staying together permanently. The moon ignored Wisp's constant questions about what was going on. It seemed to emanate worry more and more often.

The shadows seemed to be growing stronger. Once fleeting images with no substance, they now attacked the survivors frequently. Wisp felt a swell of pity every time they saw someone fall to them, now that they knew of the pain of dying. More often the humans would be forced to abandon their camps and flee. After a while of this, the last dark-haired human disappeared into a tall, wooden door, and days later the world shifted again as he took control. A new human came tumbling out of a portal into the world, this one seemed taller and more frail than the others. He died a lot, and avoided the other humans. For a while, the shadows attacked less. It wasn't long before the world shifted once more, and the dark-haired one fell through a similar portal. Someone else must have replaced him; was the tall human the ruler before them? Wisp wondered who the new monarch was; none of the other humans had vanished. Wisp could feel tremors from below as new giants stalked the earth, killing many. 

All the while, the shadows grew stronger. The dark energy from the unbalanced world would make Wisp's body shudder and they felt nauseous. They would plead for the moon to do something to stop it, and it would wrap them in their light like a blanket. This would make them feel better, but the moon was powerless to stop the shadows below. Finally, Wisp grew tired of waiting and confronted the moon.

“Let me go down and fight it. I cannot stay up here now that the danger is reaching us.”

A forceful tremor shook the moon.

“I can _so_ do it! You never let me do anything to help the humans.”

Wisp felt a wave of exasperation from the ground.

"It's not fair! You keep telling me I should be ready to go survive down there, but now you won't let me? I swear I will be cautious! Perhaps I can even speak to their ruler on our behalf, they might be willing to negotiate?"

Doubt emanated from below. 

"Besides, I want to meet them! I bet I can get the humans to work together with me. The ruler is always a human too, right? Won't they be happy to be free?"

Their continued arguments were ignored.

"Hmph. Maybe I'll leave anyway. You can't stop me." Wisp never followed through with their threat. They went through the routine they did most every day, walking the same path over and over, then went to their usual resting place. They would never admit that they were a little scared to leave the only place they had known. But life was getting so _boring_. Sure the distant shadows couldn't really do any damage up here, but Wisp wanted to see the strange world, really see it. Grumbling, they rolled over and eventually fell asleep.

A tremor louder than any Wisp had ever heard woke them up. They tried calling out to the moon to see what was the matter, but this wasn't its usual speech. The ground shook again and threw them off balance; they clung to the surface as best as they could as the shaking got more violent. A scream escaped their mouth as their world shifted and they felt the odd sensation of falling while still attached to the ground. A few moments of terror passed, then a crushing force knocked the breath out of them. Wisp coughed and gasped as liquid filled their lungs and they struggled against the force pinning their body. Finally, after thinking that maybe they would get to experience death, they gulped in air. As they forced water out of their mouth, waves splashed against their body and they had to struggled to stay afloat. When had they fallen into a spring? Their surroundings became clearer and they nearly froze in shock as they noticed the water stretching much too far around them. 

Wisp's panic lessened when they saw the edge of the moon to their left and swam frantically toward it. They heaved their shaking body up onto the rock and flopped down in a dripping puddle. The night sky was dotted with stars and lit by...the moon. Wisp bolted up in shock. The constant, comforting presence of the moon was gone; the ground they stood on was empty. Waves still crashed against the jagged edge of the moon, disturbed by the mass of rock that had fallen. Wisp was standing on an island made from a chunk of the surface torn from its home. And they were alone. 

They cried for a long time, wrapping their sodden wings around their body in some attempt to comfort. At some point they slept, and woke up to the blinding light of the sun. It was the first time they had ever seen it. Why did it hurt so much? Everything hurt, cut off from the moon Wisp felt too weak to even heal the bruises covering them from the impact into the water. The trees offered some protection, but not much. Far out on the horizon they could see a dark spot; they wondered if that might offer some more relief. Besides, it would be good to fly up and see where they were, and how far out into the water the new island was. Luckily, the sun dried their wings quickly and they took off.

Immediately the different in the atmosphere surprised them. The air was so much thicker here that it was almost effortless to keep themselves aloft, even with their weakened magic. Wind brushed through their hair for the first time and pleasantly ruffled it. It brought with it so many smells they had no idea how to identify. A giggle of excitement bubbled up and they took off toward the dark horizon. Their body was newly energized from the warmth and rush of wind; they flew for hours over rippling water, pillars of rock dotting up now and then. Finally they saw land. Green trees covered it in an impossibly thick forest and the ground was covered in fluffy grass. Wisp put on one last burst of speed and touched down. 

The grass tickled their bare feet and the soft earth cushioned much more than the rock they were used to. The sun setting behind them made long shadows out of the trees, painting the ground. It was beautiful, and strange, scary and invigorating all at once. Wisp ran through the forest laughing. So many new plants and animals! Each new sight made them stop and wonder, before moving on to something even more fascinating. Darkness fell, and they continued with the light shining from their wings to guide them. Far above the treetops, they could see their home lighting up the sky. They waved at it. 

Despite being able to see, noises from the darkness made them nervous. They kept close to each tree they passed, ready to hide if necessary. This kind of vulnerable fear was new to them, it was draining. By morning they were exhausted once again, stumbling a bit as they made their way through the endless forest. They tried to keep their spirits up, however. Eventually they had to find somewhere safe. A noise to their right startled them and they backed against the nearest tree. A deer with its fur covering its eyes walked calmly past, briefly glanced at the winged creature before moving on. Yeah, they needed to find somewhere they could rest soon if every noise was going to be this alarming. They didn't notice the soft footsteps behind them until they stepped away from the tree, shouting as they nearly ran into a spear.

The spear was held by a man with wild-looking hair. His red vest was dirty and torn and stubble covered his chin. He looked ready for a fight; Wisp slowly backed away. For the first time, they heard someone speak the same way they did.

"Who the hell are you?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: decided to go through and edit some chapters, I like the redo of this first one so far


	2. Wisp Meets the Survivors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how chapter pacing is supposed to work so this is what we're going with. Hope the formatting isn't confusing, I can't figure out how to do paragraph indentations on this chapter for some reason.

The man in front of them remained on guard as they stepped forward.

“Wow, you look so much different than I expected…”

“Not another step until you tell me what you are!” He raised his spear higher.

“Oh, no need to worry, I’m like you! See?” They gestured to their two arms and legs, and mimicked his angry expression.

“What…”

“Well, you don’t have wings… Maybe it’s because you’re from somewhere different. I’m from… well, the moon!” They grinned at him, but he didn’t smile back. “Hmm… do you know about the moon?”

“Of course I know about the moon!” He looked confused now. “So you’re…an extraterrestrial?”

“I don’t know what that is. I’m the guardian of the moon. Oh, do you want to know my name?”

“That would be a nice start, yes.”

“I call myself Wisp, after the wisps that I live with. I suppose you haven’t met them. Oh, do you have a name?”

“Of course I do.” He relaxed and put away his spear, still looking confused but offering a hand to them. “Wilson P. Higgsbury.” They stared at it, not sure what to do. “Ah, you shake it. Here…” He took their hand and placed it into his and demonstrated.

“Oh! Is that a typical human greeting?”

“Yes, usually. You aren’t human?”

“No, the moon said I’m similar to you, but made differently.”

“The moon talks?!” He searched through his bag and pulled out a notebook. “Is it the physical structure that talks or is their some supernatural entity?”

“Umm… I don’t know? I just sort of feel its intentions when it wants to communicate.”

“Fascinating…” He scribbled in the notebook while Wisp looked on curiously.

“Wilson P. Higgsbury, are you with any other humans right now?”

“You can just call me Wilson. And yes, actually, Willow ought to be somewhere nearby.” He looked around, and not seeing her proceeded to walk back into the woods. “Come on, I don’t feel right about just leaving you here. There’s a few spider nests nearby.”

“The fuzzy black creatures?” They followed close behind him, nervous again.

“Yeah, do you have those on the moon?”

“Yes, but ours looks different. I’ve seen yours though, they seem more plentiful down here?”

“What do you mean you’ve seen them? Can you see everything here?”

“Well, not now. But when I was above you, yes. I’ve been watching you all for some time; I’m very excited to meet everyone in person!”

“I’m…not sure how to feel about that.” He moved a large branch out of the way and stopped. “Willow! There you are!” Wisp followed him into a small clearing where the woman with the orange light stood.

“Wilson, you have an angel following you…” She seemed less jumpy than him, but still regarded them with confusion.

“Yes, this is Wisp. Apparently they lived on the moon until recently, and travelled down here.”

“Your name is Willow? That’s pretty!” They remembered the handshake and rushed forward to greet her. Willow brandished some sort of red contraption with a bit of the orange light peeking out of the top.

“Hey, watch it!” She scolded.

“Do you not greet with handshakes?”

“Oh, that’s what that was? I thought you were going for my lighter.” Wilson chuckled behind them as Willow shook their hand. “So, you’re from the moon?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds boring. There’s probably nothing flammable up there, huh?”

“Flammable?”

“You don’t know what fire is?” Willow’s eyes lit up.

“Hey now, don’t set anything on fire in here. We have plenty of charcoal as it is.” Wilson frantically stepped near her with his hands out, ready to stop her.

“Is there somewhere else I can see fire?” Wisp asked, suddenly very intrigued.

“We probably have one going back at camp.” Willow looked over at Wilson. “We should probably head back anyway; I have plenty of wood.”

“I didn’t get much, but I suppose yours should be enough.”

“Great!” Willow hoisted her axe onto her shoulders and set off toward the camp.

“I guess you’ll get to meet everyone soon.” Wilson looked over at Wisp, worried. “I hope you’re someone we can trust.”

“I have no intention of harming any of you, if that’s what you mean. I’m actually impressed with your survival abilities, you’ve all been able to accomplish so much more than when you first got here.”

“You’ve been watching us that long? How long have you been on the moon?”

“My whole life. I don’t really measure time, but I was born a while before I even noticed this world.”

“I have so many questions. We’ll have to save them for later though; we’ve got a lot of work to do today.”

A while later they arrive at camp. It was even more impressive up close; there were enough tents to house almost every person they had seen, an area was set aside with cooking pots and multiple ice boxes, and many parts of the camp were sectioned off by sturdy looking walls. Already Wisp could see several survivors moving around, sorting items in chests, and gathering building materials. The young girl with the floating reflection was watching one of the pots, occasionally stirring. Wilson dropped his pack by a tent and walked up to her.

“How’s the stew going, Wendy?”

“Fine. I kept stirring it every minute liked you asked.”

“Perfect! I’ll take it from here.” The girl looked over in Wisps direction. They waved shyly at her. Wilson spoke to the girl again, “Why don’t you go introduce yourself? I found them today, they seem like they could help us.” The girl walked over and stared up at Wisp. They fidgeted, unsure if greetings were different for younger humans.

“Are you a denizen of the afterlife?” She finally spoke.

“I…no?”

“You look like an angel.”

“Willow said that too, I’m not sure what that is.”

“No one really is.” The girl held out her hand in a thankfully familiar gesture. “I’m Wendy, that’s my twin sister Abigail.” She gestured to the floating girl behind her.

“Oh, she is a separate entity from you? I thought she was your reflection.”

“No. We may look identical but we are separate people. She’s stronger than I am, and I’m faster than her.”

“I see. My name is Wisp.”

“You don’t look like one.”

“Well, no, I just took my name from them. I had to call myself something.”

“There are will-o-wisps on the moon?”

“Will-o-wisps?”

“They lure people out into the woods where they are trapped wandering forever, until they die of thirst or are eaten by wild animals.”

“That’s doesn’t sound very nice.”

“It isn’t.” Wendy took Wisp’s hand and led them farther into camp. “You should meet everyone else.” Wisp looked over at Wilson and he gave them an encouraging smile.

“I would like that!” They followed Wendy, gazing at the structures around them. They walked past a large man and a red-haired girl practicing stabbing a log set on its side.

“That’s Wolfgang and Wigfrid. They’re both pretty aggressive so they do most of the hunting.” The red-haired girl shouted in an accent Wisp didn’t recognize and somehow sliced the log in half. Wisp made a mental note to not aggravate her in the future. They walked past a woman with short hair tinkering with a metal arm, the owner of the arm sitting on a nearby rock. “That’s Winona and WX. She’s good at building stuff and they’re a machine, so she usually fixes them up.” Winona looked up from her work and waved them over.

“Hey, how are ya Wendy? Made a new friend I see.” Her voice was deeper than Wisp expected, but they decided they liked it.

“This is Wisp. They’re from the moon.”

“Well nice to meet you Wisp. What brings you here to our humble abode?” She shook Wisps hand very firmly and caught them off guard.

“Uh, I…I’m here to help fight off the shadow creatures.”

“Ugh, those creepy crawlies you see when you’ve had it too rough for a few days?”

“I suppose so. I haven’t ever really encountered them before.”

“Well we’d be happy for the help. I could use an extra set of hands repairing the catapults every now and then. How are you with metalwork?”

“I have no idea.”

“Ah, I’m sure you’ll do fine. Here.” She handed them the metal arm. “See if you can adjust that joint there.”

“If you break my arm I’m going to break yours back.” The robot spoke in a low monotone beeping sound. Wisp took a cautious step back.

“Don’t pay attention to them, you’ll do fine.” Winona placed a reassuring hand on theirs and guided them to the proper gears. After a few minutes of poking and prodding, Wisp was able to get the arm functioning properly. “Great! You have a natural attention to detail,” she encouraged. “I’ll definitely get you to help on some projects in the future.” WX took the arm back and attached it back to their body. They moved it around, testing the range and flexibility.

“This is adequate,” they said simply, and walked off.

“Hey, they like you!” Winona chuckled. “Oh, Wendy, Webber was looking for you earlier. He said he found a new section of caves.” Wendy’s eyes lit up and she waved a quick farewell as she jogged off. “Webber’s a spider boy. He sometimes startles new people so I thought you should know before you try offing him.”

“Oh, I know about him! I saw him join a while ago.”

“Come again?” Winona raised an eyebrow. Wisp explained again how they were able to see what happened on the surface from their sky. “That’s pretty nifty. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be able to see in the dark, would you?”

“I think so. I can really only see the surface clearly at night when it’s a full moon, but other nights I can see a little bit. Most creatures go to sleep.”

“Hmmm…” She seemed deep in thought.

“You can’t see in the dark, can you?”

“No, that’s not really a thing humans can do. But if you can without a light… well it’ll be easier for you.” Her expression seemed closed off. “Have you seen anyone other than us in the dark?”

“No, not really. Just the creatures.”

“I see. Well, we can talk about it later. You haven’t met everyone yet, have you?”

“Not in person!” Wisp perked up, their curiosity about Winona’s odd questions quickly disappearing.

“Well let’s go then!” She led them deeper into the camp.

Wisp met a few others; a man with a white face who didn’t speak, a red imp, a red-haired man with a talking axe, and a human-shaped plant. The green crystal in his chest particularly fascinated them; they could have sworn it felt familiar. But Wormwood didn’t know them, though he was enthusiastic about meeting a new person.

“Oh, there’s Wickerbottom.” Winona waved down an old woman carrying a stack of books. She set them down next to a nearby chest and regarded Wisp curiously.

“I’ve never met someone with avian body structures. May I?” She reached her hand toward their wing. They extended it for her to grab, assuming this must be a different kind of handshake. They jumped when she ran her fingers along the bone, examining the feathers closely. “Interesting. The structure is essentially the same but it seems the density of your feathers is different. Perhaps to support a larger body mass?”

“I guess. They’re sort of made of light, so the moon’s magic helps me fly.”

“I would love to see a demonstration sometime. Now’s not a good time though; we’re expecting a hound attack soon and it would be unwise to give away our position.”

“Ugh, again?” Winona complained. “My arms still messed up from the last one.” She stretched her shoulder and winced.

“Maxwell says the pattern’s been consistent, and tonight is the most likely time they will come.”

“Damn. Well, guess we have as many defenses as we can now.”

“You’ve learned the patterns of their attacks?” Wisp chimed in. “Even I couldn’t figure it out from seeing them above, and I tried for a long time.”

“Yes, while Maxwell’s former position was…troublesome for us, he has proven a useful source of knowledge.” Wickerbottom adjusted her glasses. “He’s really come around.”

“Speak for yourself. I still wanna sucker punch the guy.” Winona glared, not at anyone in particular.

“Who’s Maxwell?” Wisp asked.

“The former denizen of this realm. He created most of the creatures here, so he understands their behaviors better than even I do.”

“Wait, that’s who that was?” Wisp suddenly recalled the man falling into the world when they felt the power shift. “No wonder I saw so many turn him away.”

“Yes, it took some adjusting to. But we have settled on an arrangement. Despite some remaining tensions.” She side-eyed Winona, who crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

Wendy came running up with a dark-furred creature that did indeed look like the spiders of this world. He spoke excitedly, his voice not quite human but still managing to sound child-like.

“Wilson says lunch is ready!” He took off running and Wendy followed.

“Well then I suppose it’s time to eat.” Wickerbottom gestured for Wisp to follow her and Winona. “Do you need to eat? You have a physical form but if it’s as you say and the moon’s power formed you then you might not need food as sustenance.”

“I’ve never needed to eat before, but things feel different down here. I feel weaker somehow.”

“Try eating anyway and see if it has an effect.” The woman joined Wilson in portioning out the stew. The whole group sat on logs near the pot, many forming into pairs or groups and talking. Wisp grabbed the bowl offered to them. It looked strange, but the smell was amazing. They guessed they must be hungry, because as soon as they spooned some into their mouth they couldn’t stop. They followed Winona and slurped their stew happily.

“Guess you were hungry.” The mechanic looked on with amusement.

“Food is amazing, I should have tried it a long time ago!” Too soon their food was gone, but they stayed and talked with Winona about the tasks that helped keep everyone surviving in the camp.

“Ugh, here comes the know-it-all.” Winona glared behind Wisp and they turned around to look. They saw the man they now knew was Maxwell getting food. He sat alone, but Wilson soon joined him with the last of the stew.

“Why don’t you talk with him? Maybe he’s not as bad as you think,” Wisp suggested.

“Trust me, he is.”

“Wilson and Ms. Wickerbottom seem to get along well with him.”

“Yeah, well….they just want to ignore all the horrible things he’s done. I’m not one to forget.” She slammed her empty bowl down and leaned back against the log from the ground. She did not look comfortable.

“What kind of things?”

“Are you kidding? All of this,” she gestured vaguely at the woods behind them, “is his doing. All these things trying to kill us are doing it because he told them to.”

“Then why doesn’t he tell them to stop.”

“He can’t.” She laughed bitterly. “That’s the ironic thing, he messed everything up but he’s too useless to fix it.”

“Maybe he could try talking to the new ruler? If they are continuing this cycle he must have reason to stop them.” Winona froze.

“How do you know about her?”

“Her? I didn’t know they were a woman.”

“She…” Winona suddenly stood up and stomped back toward the tents. Wisp stood up to follow her, but Wendy walked over and stopped them.

“Leave her be for now. She’ll explain when she can.”

“I didn’t mean to make her upset.” Wisp looked back toward the tents, confused.

“It’s not your fault. Just give her space.” Wendy gazed back at the ghost following her with a wistful look. Abigail smiled reassuringly and placed her hand on top of Wendy’s, though it phased through as she moved it.

“What is a sister?” Wisp asked. “You said that she was your twin and sister, what does that mean?”

“You don’t know? I suppose if you didn’t have one on the moon you wouldn’t have learned… Abigail and I were born at the same time from the same mother. That’s what a twin is, a sister is just someone born to the same parent at any time. It’s called a brother if it’s a boy. It’s someone you grow up with.”

“That makes sense. I didn’t have anyone but the moon, it would have been nice to have a sister or brother.” They thought for a moment. “What does it mean to be a boy or a girl? Which one am I?”

“Well… girls are… well they’re both born different.” Wendy seemed just as confused when trying to put it into words. “I guess you just know which you are. They look different usually, but not always. Boys mostly have short hair, but Winona has short hair and she’s a girl. And Webber has hair all over him.” She shrugged. “If you don’t know I guess you get to pick.”

“Hmmm…I’m not sure.”

“You can decide later.” Wendy yawned. “I should probably take a nap before Wilson tells me to. I was awake all night.”

“Is that what sleeping is?” Wendy laughed quietly at this.

“Yes. You must have a lot to learn about places that aren’t the moon. I can teach you later if you want.”

“I would like that,” Wisp said, relieved.

“Alright. Goodnight. Or, good day I guess.” She slumped over toward the tents, her sister trailing leisurely behind her. Willow appeared behind them.

“Hey, you. I have to make boards out of the wood I gathered this morning, and I want you to help.”

“Okay, as long as you teach me.” Wisp willingly followed her to an area filled with chests. She pulled a stack of logs out of one and carried them over to a stump with an axe next to it. They spent the rest of the afternoon chopping the logs into thinner, more rectangular pieces. For the first time, Wisp felt was exhaustion was. Their body was covered in sweat, and their arms felt weak by the time the sun started to go down.

“Nice work. You aren’t bad for someone with a cushy job on the moon.”

“Thank you!” They glowed at the praise, literally, as with the rising moon the white feathers of their wings began to reflect the light of the moon, strong as the magic within them.

“Whoa. That’s cool.” Willow stared, transfixed by the light. “Not as pretty as fire, but still useful in the dark.”

“I’m surprised they still do that down here. When I was on the dark part of the moon I used the moon’s magic to light my way, I guess that’s what this is.”

“Well you probably need to sleep now, so we’ll have to test them out later.” Willow set down the axe and wiped sweat from her brow.

“Yes, I hope that makes me feel less weak.”

“That is the point.” Willow grinned. “You can share with me for tonight until we can make you a tent.”

“Thanks.” They followed her into the cluster of tents. Many people were entering through the flaps on the side, and Wisp saw Maxwell in front of one of them, smoking a cigar. He stared at them for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. They waved, and he turned around and went inside the tent.

The inside of Willows tent was very warm. A smoldering fire sat underneath the hole at the top, and she relit it as they entered. She arranged some grass on the floor in a makeshift bed for Wisp to sleep on. They curled up and nestled into the straw, sitting up again for a moment to gather it closer to them as they felt the softness relax their sore muscles. Willow let out a loud bark of laughter at them.

“What’s so funny?”

“You…you’ve made a nest. You know, like a bird?”

“Birds do this?” They gazed at their pile of straw.

“Yeah, and you’ve got the wings…nevermind. You’ll get it eventually.” She chuckled to herself as she climbed underneath her blanket. “Goodnight weirdo.”

“Goodnight!” Wisp settled down once again and quickly fell asleep.


	3. Wisp Chooses a Gender

There were a lot of new feelings Wisp had to get used to. Hunger and exhaustion were certainly unpleasant, but pain and wounds were a new concept. They were a being of mostly energy, but down here they had a weaker physical form. The hound wave came right as Maxwell had predicted, and Wisp had attempted to communicate with one. It bit them right on the arm, leaving bloody indentations in their skin. Wilson had panicked and yelled at them, and they learned of his more protective side. He tended to look after the younger survivors, and tried to be encouraging to everyone.

Wickerbottom patched them up after the encounter, coating their wounds in a salve that stung, and wrapping them in bandages. They cried the whole time and she had to keep telling them to stop yanking their arm away. All in all, it was a horrible experience they did not want to repeat, so they avoided any group that went out hunting.

One good thing had occurred from the hound fiasco; they finally met Maxwell. He came into Wickerbottom’s tent as she was finishing their bandages.

“That was a really bad decision.” Wisp only sniffled in response. “Do you genuinely not know what the hounds do, or do you just have no sense of self-preservation?”

“I-I thought I could calm them down…” they blubbered. He sighed.

“I suppose there’s no need to say any more, seems like the hounds taught you a lesson you won’t soon forget. I actually came here to ask who you were.”  
“I’m Wisp.” They tried to extend their arm but winced and pulled it back. Wickerbottom set about organizing what was left of the healing supplies.

“Yes, I’ve learned that much. But who are you? Where did you come from?”

“I came from the moon. I’m…I’m the protector and ruler of the creatures that live there.”

“So, like the king of the moon?” He raised his eyebrows, looking amused.

“King’s a bit of a strong word for what I do… is there something less than that?”

He shrugged. “Prince, maybe?”

“That sounds nice.”

“You aren’t a male, are you?”

“No, I’m still deciding.”

“Fair enough.” He shrugged again. “Titles mean nothing around here, apparently.”

“What did you call yourself before?”

“What do you mean?”

“Back when you ruled this world?” They waited for a response as he reacted with surprise.

“You know a lot about what goes on down here.”

“Not everything. I never saw you, not until you came to this part. Where were you before?”

“That’s none of your concern.” His already grumpy face became even more irritated. “I just wanted to know what part you play in all this. Now I know.” He promptly stepped out of the room.

“He seems easily upset,” Wisp observed.

“The man’s had a rough past. I’m sure he still feels guilty about all the things he did as ruler.” Wickerbottom closed up the last pack and inspected their arm. “You should be fine, just try not to exert your arm too much.”

“Thank you. Sorry for getting bit.”

“Oh dear, you did what you thought was right. There’s no shame in learning, even if it’s hard lessons.”

“Okay, I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good. Now go find something easy to do one-handed.” She smiled slightly, a rare sight from the stern librarian. Wisp left feeling much better.

Wisp could not think of much to do that wouldn’t aggravate their injury. They thought of going to help Winona with something small, but still felt nervous about upsetting her earlier. They also weren’t sure how to handle her hatred of Maxwell; he seemed fine to Wisp. They settled on helping Wendy and Webber pick flowers to make garlands. The sun warmed their wings and made them feel calm and content, and the flowers were gorgeous now that they could see them properly.

“Why don’t we do this every day?” they asked.

“It’s not an essential part of meeting everyone’s needs, but it helps soothe the nerves when it’s needed,” Wendy replied, sitting on a rock and weaving the stems together.

“Sound pretty important to me!” Webber handed her an armful of flowers, then ran back into the field to find more. Wisp carefully examined a bright red flower with sharp points on the stems. “That’s a rose, they prick you if you pick them. I’d leave it alone if I were you.” The boy sat down in front of it, gingerly poking the edge of a thorn.

“I’m sure there’s a smart way to go about it.” Wisp carefully grasped the base of the stem near the dirt where there weren’t any thorns and pulled it up. A tangle of roots came up with it. “Well, that’ll do.” They picked as many of the thorns off as they could and handed it to Wendy.

“I’m not putting that in a garland, it’ll hurt someone’s head.”

“Alright, then I’ll keep it.” Wisp turned the rose back and forth, admiring the shape of the petals. They placed it in one of the pockets of their backpack so it could stick out. “So, Webber, I’m curious about how you were made. Were you a spider first or a human first?”

“Both! When I was even littler I got swallowed up by the spider. Then, I got bigger inside, and the spider stayed around me, so now we’re together!” He gave up on picking flowers and lay down on his stomach to examine a bright orange one.

“Didn’t it hurt to get eaten?”

“A little, at first. But I felt safe inside, and now I’m happy that I’m never alone. The other spiders are good friends, and of course Wendy is my best friend,” he said matter-of-factly.

“That sounds nice to have a best friend.” Wisp lay down on the other side of the flower and stretched their wings out to feel the sun. “Wow, I can’t believe how warm it is down here. It feels incredible!”

“Wait until summer,” Webber giggled. “You’ll have all the warmth you can handle then. It gets hot and sticky, and you pass out if you stay in the sun long enough.”

“That doesn’t sound fun at all.”

“It isn’t! I hate summer.” He pouted. “My fur gets too hot and itchy. I like autumn better. It’s cool but not too cold like winter.”

“This season is what you call spring, correct?”

“Yeah! It rains a lot during this time, but it hasn’t since you got here. It probably will soon.” He flopped onto his back and looked up at the sky. “Yeah, there’s a lot of clouds today. I bet it’ll be raining by evening.”

Wisp rolled onto their back as well, laying their wings on the grass. “The clouds look the same from down here.”

“What was the moon like?” Webber asked.

“Colder. And there wasn’t grass. Some of the trees grew flowers, but the whole ground is rock. There’s pools of water like down here, and creatures hang around them cause it’s warmer. There’s a lot less living up there than down here.”

“Did you make them?”

“Oh, no. The moon did that. It’s alive, and it shapes its surface how it wants. It made all the trees, and rats, and crystal spiders, and me.”

“Maybe there’s someone like Mr. Maxwell inside the moon, and they’re the one who made it all.”

“Maybe. I’ve never seen them, so it could be. He said I was like the prince of the moon earlier.”

“Prince sounds a lot more fun than king.” Webber rolled on his side to face them. “Do you want to be a prince?”

“I do. I don’t know why, but I like the feeling of it. I guess that makes me a boy.”

“You don’t have to be a boy if you don’t want to, since you weren’t born as either.”

“No, I think I want to be. It sounds right.”

Webber stood up and pulled Wisp to their, his, knees. “Then I hereby proclaim you Prince Wisp of the moon!” He touched his spear to either of their shoulders.

“That’s knighting someone, Webber.” Wendy commented.

“Oh. Then how do you make someone a prince?”

“I don’t know. Give them a crown?”

“That’s perfect!” Webber ran over and grabbed a finished garland, and he placed it on Wisp’s head. “Now you’re a real prince!” Wisp smiled. He stood up and adjusted the garland on his head.

“You should be the knight, since I’m the prince.” He grabbed Webber’s spear and performed the knighting ceremony.

“Yay! Wendy, do you want to be a knight?”

“Sure.” She tied off the last stem and carefully placed the garlands in her backpack. Webber knighted her with his spear. “I don’t think knights can make other people knights.”

“Aw, they can’t?” Webber looked back at Wisp for confirmation.

“You can make her a knight if you want.”

“Alright!”

“Abigail too,” Wendy said, smiling. Webber performed the same ceremony.

“We probably ought to head back.” Wisp noticed it was getting darker as clouds gathered in front of the sun. “That means rain, right?”

“Yes, we should go.” Wendy led the way back to camp. On the way, the sky opened up and rain poured onto them. Wendy and Webber each had umbrellas, which they tried to share but Wisp was mostly exposed. He tried using his wings to shield him, which helped a little, but he was still relieved when they made it back and he could take shelter under a nearby lean-to. WX was already there, sulking, but they moved over to let him in.

“Thanks.” He curled his legs against his body and shook the water from his wings. The robot jumped back at the sprinkle of water.

“Do not do that in my vicinity!” they shouted.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to get you wet.” He chuckled.

“It is not funny. Water can damage my circuits.”

“It can? That’s not good.” He tried to reach out and wipe the water off them with his mostly dry shirt.

“You are not helping!” WX scooted as far away from Wisp as they could.

“Sorry.” Wisp moved away sheepishly. “I don’t understand how machines work very well. I don’t mean to keep upsetting you.”

“I do not get _upset_,” they scoffed. “I have self-preservation installed in my program, which you do not seem to have.”

“Maybe.” Wisp frowned. “I think I just might be stupid. All this time I spent watching this world from afar, and I haven’t learned anything useful.”

“That seems accurate.”

“Thanks,” they huffed.

“You at least seem to have grasped the human concept of sarcasm. Maybe you aren’t completely a lost cause.”

“Oh, like you’re an expert on humans?” they snarked, trying and failing to hide a slight smile.

“They do not make sense, but there are many predictable behaviors. For example, Winona spends almost all leisure time attempting to improve on her machines’ designs.”

“She does seem pretty good with them.”

“She is one of the few humans I can tolerate for an extended amount of time.” WX made a strange noise that sounded like a sigh. “Why did I get stuck with a group of idiots?”

“Oh, come on, surely you can at least acknowledge that it’s beneficial to stick with a group?”

“Surprisingly, you have a valid point.” A voice called out from the area with the cooking pots.

“Hey, Wisp, come here! I want to show you something.” Wisp squinted through the rain and saw Wilson waving him over.

“Stay dry,” they said to WX as they sprinted over. Wilson handed him a spare umbrella and he opened it above him, relieved.

“You probably ought to learn to cook now that you’ve been here a while,” Wilson opened his pack to show an assortment of vegetables and some ham.

“Sure!” Wisp took mental notes as Wilson taught him some of the recipes that had served them well, and learned how to boil, stew, roast, and all sorts of ways to cook things.

“I wouldn’t get creative too often, since we don’t want to waste food, but if you have some extras you can try out different things.” Wilson opened the lid on Wisp’s attempt at ratatouille and tasted it. “Not bad! Once you learn to hunt, you could be self-sufficient at feeding yourself.”

“Right, hunting. I’m…still a little hesitant to try after the hound attack.”

“I can understand that. I promise you’ll do fine, though. We all learned how, even little Wendy.”

“I hope so.”

“Say, Wigfrid and I were going to head out tomorrow to look for some larger animals, you should come with us then,” he offered.

“She’s the scary one with the red hair, right?” Wilson chuckled.

“She’s not that scary. Well, except to monsters maybe. We’re perfectly safe around her.”

“Alright, I guess I’ll join you tomorrow.” He sighed heavily. “In that case, I should get some sleep.” He stood up and walked in the direction of Willow’s tent.

“Hey, moon bird, over here!” Winona waved him down. She was in the middle of setting up another tent. “This is for you, why don’t you help me set it up?”

“Thank you!” Wisp hurried over and enthusiastically helped her nail down the supports. “It’s going to be so nice to have my own place to sleep. I like Willow but her tent is always stuffy.”

“Heh, I bet.” She tied the canvas to the center pole with some rope. “I heard from Wendy that you’re going by ‘he’ now.”

“Yep! It was the one I was most comfortable with.”

“That’s cool.” She trailed off, deep in thought. “Hey, I’m sorry for snapping at you the other day. You didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure you had a right to be upset. Although, I’m still confused as to what you’re upset about.” Winona sighed, tied off the last knot, and sat down in the grass, gesturing for Wisp to join her.

“The ruler you mentioned that’s in charge of this world now? She’s my sister.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen her in years; she went missing a while ago back when I was in the real world. I did everything I could to find her, and when I finally did, she dragged me into this place.” She drew her knees to her chest, looking more vulnerable than Wisp ever thought she could. “I miss her so much. I know that whatever’s out there in the dark isn’t really my sister anymore, but I have to believe there’s some part of her that can be saved.”

“What do you mean in the dark?”

“I’m sure someone’s told you by now to never be caught out at night without a light. That’s because she can only get to us when it’s completely dark. She killed quite a few of us in the beginning; someone would just disappear and we’d find their body and ghost just laying there torn to shreds.” She shuddered. “Every night I can’t help thinking of her out there, taken over by some darkness that makes her attack so viciously.”

“I’m so sorry. That must be hard having to see her like that. I don’t really know what having a sister is like, but I know it can hurt to see someone you care about in danger.”

“Thanks. Not that there’s much we can do. The worst part is she wouldn’t have been here in the first place if she hadn’t met Maxwell.”

“Is that why you hate him so much?”

“Yes,” she said bitterly. “It’s his fault she’s stuck here, and he can’t even do anything about it. She hates him too, so there’s no way he could reason with her.”

“She won’t listen to you?”

“No, I’ve tried. Once I realized who she was, I stood out in the middle of the woods, waiting for her. I tried calling her name but she ignored me and attacked. I was able to hear her in time to get away, but I’m in as much danger as anyone else.” She stood up suddenly. “I don’t like talking about this, but I thought you should know. I need some time alone.”

“Alright.” Wisp watched as she walked off to her tent. His chest felt tight. There wasn’t anything he could think of to help her, so he just entered his tent. It was bare for now, but Wisp simply curled up on the ground, too upset to think about getting supplies for a bed. As the sun went down, he placed the lantern he had with him in the center of the room. He huddled closer to it, knowing it was the only thing protecting him from the darkness.


	4. Wisp Dies

The hunt was not going well. They had managed to grab some of the gross-looking monster meat from the few spiders they encountered, but Wigfrid had almost been overwhelmed. Wilson and Wisp had attempted to help as she was surrounded by the creatures, but she managed to fight most of them off by herself. With one last battle cry, she ran her spear through the body of one of the stronger yellow ones and withdrew it, panting. She was covered in the purple blood of the spiders, and a little bit of her own seeping from a bite in her leg.

“Oh no, you’re hurt!” Wisp dug frantically through their bag for some honey they had brought along.

“Tis but a scratch! Victory is still mine!” She triumphantly raised her spear.

“Yes, but we still need to patch you up if we’re going to take down something bigger,” Wilson added. He pulled out some healing salve and let her apply it to the bite.

“You there, winged one,” she gestured for him to come over. “You are not holding the spear right.”

“O-oh, sorry.” He rested the end of the spear against the ground, ashamed.

“Do not apologize! You are new, one cannot be expected to master the art of battle in a day.” She got up, a little laboriously, and showed him her own spear. “Hold it like this, closer to your body. It will give you greater force behind the thrust, and better protect you should you need to swing it.” She demonstrated a quick series of jabs and a lightning fast swing.

“I see. I’ll try to remember next time.”

“Good! You will make a fine warrior one day, one to ride with the Valkyrie!”

“I don’t know what that means, but I’ll do my best!”

“Hey, over here!” Wilson interrupted to wave them both down. “I found some tracks!”

“Excellent! We ride to battle once again!” Wigfrid trotted off in the direction the tracks led, her injury barely slowing her down.

“How does she keep going?” Wisp panted, still exhausted from the scuffle earlier. Wilson shrugged, and they both set out.

At the end of the trail was a strange beast Wisp didn’t recognize. “A Koalaphant,” Wilson whispered as the three watched it from behind a bush. “They’re easily startled, so we have to sneak up on it.”

“You approach it from the right, and I from the left,” Wigfrid whispered. “Wisp, you follow behind us and be ready to strike!”

“Okay!” Wisp gripped his spear tightly. The three carefully stepped out from behind the bush, sneaking carefully out of the beast’s line of sight. From Wisp’s right came the cracking of a twig, and they saw Wilson wince. The beast made a noise of surprise, and bolted. Wigfrid broke the silence with a yell and sprinted after it, spear raised.

“Follow her!” Wilson shouted, and the three gave chase. The Koalaphant was much faster than them, but a few attempts to flank it got them close. They followed it into the woods, hoping to run it into a tree long enough for them to catch up.

“Hurry! There is a clearing ahead!” Wilson shouted. “We have to catch it before it gets there!” Wisp could hear Wigfrid still screaming somewhere in the woods. On his left, he saw her vault over a fallen log and put on an extra burst of speed. Barely slowing down, she launched her spear at the creature. It howled as the weapon lodged in its shoulder, but continued running until it reached the clearing. The three slowed down, breathing heavily as they watched it escape into the opposite side of the woods.

“Fires of Hel! I almost had it!” Wigfrid swore.

“It’s okay, we can find another one,” Wilson panted. “At least I hope.” They all froze as the ground suddenly shook. Their attention turned toward a pond surrounded by berry bushes at the side of the clearing. Several large, fuzzy duckling-looking creatures were running around and playing happily.

“Maybe we can get some meat from these?” Wisp suggested.

“Oh no.” Wilson tensed up and stared upward as a shadow crossed over him. Wisp followed his gaze toward the biggest creature he had seen yet. A massive goose with antlers glared down at them.

“Oh, those are a lot bigger up close.” Wisp remembered seeing it from the moon, but hadn’t fully realized the scale.

“Back away, slowly.” Wilson spoke almost in a whisper.

“But…” Wigfrid looked back and forth between Wilson and the goose. “Imagine how much meat that thing has on it.”

“No! Absolutely not!” He whispered furiously. “We’re going to get ourselves killed!”

“Not if we strike first!” Wigfrid raised her voice and brandished her spear. The goose flapped its wings aggressively, creating a strong wind in the clearing. Wigfrid shouted and ran forward once again, charging the beast.

“Wigfrid, no!” Wilson followed her, already holding his spear ready to attack. “Wisp, come on! We’re doing this now!” Wisp ran forward into the chaos.

He went for the leg first, but quickly realized that was not going to work as the webbed feet kicked forward and sent him tumbling away. He got back up and went to stab it in the side. He got a good hit, but even with all three hitting it the goose was still going strong. With an ear-splitting honk, the goose thrust it’s head forward, and all three were forced to cover their ears and drop their weapons. The goose took the opportunity to ram into Wigfrid, sending her flying. She somehow landed on her feet and rushed back in, scooping up her weapon along the way.

Wilson was having a better time dodging the creatures attacks, but its size gave it such a range that he was forced to sprint away and back, running back and forth at a rate that would surely tire him out. Wisp was barely doing any damage as he slashed away. The chicks were running around frantically, raising a cacophony of honking noises. Wigfrid dropped her spear again, but this time she went for her bag and brought out a shadowy sword. It seemed to suck all the light in from around it, and Wigfrid seemed to be having trouble focusing, but as she swung the goose screeched in pain.

“Hah! Now you are no match for me!”

“It very much is a match for us!” Wilson shouted. “We can’t keep going like this!” He was already panting from running back and forth. The goose drove its beak straight down into Wigfrid’s head and Wisp screamed as she fell. Her helmet split and fell to the ground and she got back up, dazed and bleeding a bit. He felt a small amount of relief that she wasn’t dead, but quickly had to focus again on dodging a sweep from the creature’s giant wing. The blast of wind from the force slammed into Wisp’s face, ruffling his feathers behind him. With a suddenly burst of clarity, he opened his wings and soared upward on the draft made by the goose’s own wings.

“Go for the neck!” Wigfrid shouted when she noticed Wisp in the air. He nodded and swooped in, landing a good-sized hit on the creature’s neck. He was suddenly hit by its massive head and nearly fell out of the air, but he managed to catch himself. “Here!” Wigfrid shouted for his attention and tossed her sword up into the air. He swooped over and caught it, and an uncomfortable feeling washed over him as he gripped it. “Attack the head!” He steeled himself and rushed straight at the creature. It turned and saw him too late as he held the sword out and slashed at the base of the head. It rolled off of the creature’s neck and fell downward, the whole body collapsing onto the ground with a massive thud.

“Yes! We got it!” Wisp laughed triumphantly and raised the sword. Right then, a bolt of lighting appeared right next to him and he screamed, flinging himself to the side. Below him, the chicks had become enraged, and were spinning in all directions. Wilson and Wigfrid frantically rushed around trying the avoid them. Lighting struck over and over, threatening to hit them. “Oh, come on!” Wisp dove toward the nearest chick and slashed at it with the sword, and it fell over dead. Wilson and Wigfrid had recovered from the initial attack and were now fighting back-to-back. Wisp continued dive-bombing the chicks as the other two managed to fend them off with their weapons. Finally, the last creature fell over dead, and the sky cleared.

Wisp flapped down for a rather ungraceful landing, but smiled as he stumbled towards the others. “I can’t believed we managed to take down something of that size!”

“It will be a tale to be remembered!” Wigfrid said. She was bloody and tired, but grinning ear to ear. Wilson was already inspecting the body of the goose.

“These down feathers could be really useful! Perhaps they have some insulation properties, or maybe even electricity resistance.” He set to work gathering the feathers in clumps, tying them together to carry in his pack. Wigfrid and Wisp set about the rather gross task of cutting the usable meat from the body, but by the end they had enough to feel the whole camp for days.

“A successful conquest! We shall not need to hunt again for a week!” Wigfrid had piled the stacks of meat into her bag, and Wisp managed to fit the rest into his.

“I still think attacking it was a reckless idea. But, yes, I suppose the hunt was technically a success.” Wilson grinned despite himself.

“Let us return with the spoils of war!”

The mood in the camp was lively when the three arrived back with plenty of food. Wickerbottom set about making a large roast for them to eat that evening, and stored the rest in an icebox. Wigfrid could not stop herself from recounting the tale in dramatic detail, even as Willow was trying to patch her up. Wisp was very satisfied with his work, so he spent the rest of the day doing menial tasks while chatting with Wilson. They were both weaving grass into rope when evening hit and everyone was called to the meal.

A roaring fire, tended by Willow of course, flickered onto the walls and people of the camp, casting everything in a warm, orange glow. As they ate, Wigfrid enlisted Wisp’s help in a reenactment of the battle; he flew low over the camp, slashing at invisible enemies. It was surprisingly fun, and as he landed he joined Wigfrid in an over the top bow to scattered applause.

“You take to the stage like a natural!” Wigfrid clapped him on the shoulder.

“It’s really fun! And a lot less scary then battling real monsters.” The two laughed and joined in the merry gathering, a rare celebration of plenty.

Breathless from laughing, Wisp joined Wilson on a log near the outskirts of the fire pit. He had his eyes closed and was humming contentedly.

“I wish we had music here. I miss my old radio.”

“Music? What’s that?” Wisp asked.

“You’ve never heard music!?”

“Is that the sound you were making just now?”

“Yes, that’s one kind. People can sing and play instruments, and they can record it or broadcast it and we can listen to it whenever we want. That’s what a radio does. I had one I would listen to in the lab all the time while I was working.”

“What happened to it?”

“Well, it was actually the only thing that came with me when I entered here. It didn’t work as a radio anymore, but it was attached to this rod that helped me find pieces to build these portals…” He stopped, a somber expression creeping onto his face. “That was how I found Maxwell and the throne.”

“What is the throne? I keep hearing people mention it, and I know what it usually is, but there seems to be more to the one you’re talking about.”

“You’re right on the money there.” He laughed softly. “It was…sort of a trap. The person on it could use its power to influence the world, but they couldn’t leave it unless someone took their place.”

“And you took Maxwell’s place.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

The question seemed to be difficult for Wilson to answer. “Well…I took pity on him I suppose. Even after the hellish environment he made me go through to get there, when I saw him all I could see was a man suffering. I couldn’t just leave him there.”

“I understand. I think I would do the same. Besides, when you had the power of the throne the world seemed calmer, and I assume that was intentional.”

“I didn’t want anyone else going through what I had.” Wisp saw him shiver slightly, despite the warmth. “I…I worry what would have happened if I’d stayed on it any longer.”

“The woman in the dark freed you, right?”

“Yes, how did you…”

“Winona told me. About her sister.”

“She did? I’m surprised, she doesn’t normally talk about it.”

“I could tell she didn’t want to, but I think she felt bad about getting mad at me when I didn’t know why.”

“I see. She’s an honorable person, I really admire that about her.” They both looked over to where she was arm wrestling with Wigfrid, surrounded by survivors egging them on.

“What’s her name?” Wisp asked.

“Hmm?”

“Winona’s sister. She didn’t tell me her name.”

“Oh, yes I can understand her not wanting to mention it. Her name is Charlie.”

“How did you find out?”

“Maxwell told me. He’s…actually one of the only people I feel like I can talk to about all this. Magic and shadows and power and all.” He shook his head. “I still sometimes feel like I’m in over my head. I’m a man of science, I’m not even supposed to believe in this stuff!” He groaned and rested his face in his hands. Wisp awkwardly placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been surrounded by magic every day of my life, so it doesn’t seem strange at all. If anything, you are the strange ones.” He looked up, surprised. “I feel out of my element; even though I’ve mostly gotten along with everyone, I still feel like the odd one out.”

“Trust me, we’re all the odd ones out,” he laughed. “There are no rules here, and sometimes that’s a good thing.”

Wisp pondered those words that night as he tried to sleep. The idea of no rules was foreign to him; his whole life had been structured around his duties on the moon. Even coming down here felt like breaking the rules, even though he had permission. He crawled to the flap in his tent, carrying a dim lantern. The moon had not yet risen. He felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Maybe he should have stayed. But already he had learned so much that he didn’t know about the shadow beings, and he could tell that understanding the throne, or at least what replaced it, must be the key to understanding Them. He sighed, and crawled back into the tent. His pack lay off to the side with some basic supplies always packed; he sometimes had trouble getting it over his wings but tonight he was determined.

Outside his tent, the camp was quiet. He could hear the sounds of cicadas in the woods around them, something Ms. Wickerbottom had told him was a sign of summer approaching. The faint crackle of fire reached his ears and he went to investigate. A figure was sitting at the remains of the bonfire, but Wisp was sure they couldn’t see him. He switched off his lantern and willed a faint glow to radiate out from his wings. He hopped over the wall and rushed into the woods.

All his senses were on high alert as he walked cautiously through the forest. He knew there were no monsters nearby, and he hoped to move just outside the safer area surrounding camp. Still, he felt anxious that something would decide to venture closer to the camp, so he scanned what little he could see of his surroundings. He had almost decided he was far enough when a branch snapped behind him. He whirled around and screamed when he saw someone holding a torch right behind him, and almost tripped backward.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Maxwell hissed.

“I’m not doing anything. What are you doing?”

“Following you to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

Wisp huffed in frustration. “I can handle myself now. Remember how I helped take down that giant bird?”

“You weren’t alone then. It’s dangerous to be out here in the dark and I don’t want your death weighing on my conscious too.”

“Yes, I know it’s dangerous, that’s kind of the point. Look, just go back, I want to do this alone.”

“Not until you tell me what insane idea you’ve got in your head.” He doused the torch and Wisp brightened the glow around them.

“What if I just leave you here and go anyway?” Wisp crossed his arms stubbornly.

“This is getting us nowhere. Tell me what you’re up to or I’ll tell Wickerbottom you were sneaking around at night.” Wisp’s determined façade faltered. Maxwell smirked.

“Fine. But you have to promise not to try and stop me.”

“I can’t guarantee that.”

“Ugh, trust me, you don’t want in on this.” He raised an eyebrow. “Alright, okay, you win. I’m going to talk to Charlie.”

“Excuse me?”

“See, I told you that you wouldn’t want to get involved.” 

“No, I’m coming with you.” A fearful expression crossed his face, just for a moment. “You realize that’s a bad idea, right? We’ve tried talking to her before and she just kills us.”

“Well, obviously you don’t have a great history with her. I’m a neutral party, I thought maybe I would stand a chance.”

Maxwell looked guilty now. “I think you’re going to get killed. But if there’s even a chance you can speak with her… there’s so much that I… No, I’m not going to get my hopes up. Let’s just see if it works.” He pulled out some firewood and lit a small fire to sit by. “Come back here if you’re still alive.”

“That’s encouraging.” He tried to sound sarcastic but instead it came out sounding terrified. His hands shook and he gripped his backpack straps to steady them. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of range of the fire’s light, and turned the glow all the way off. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then he heard, and felt, something rush past him. He turned to follow the noise, but then he heard it behind him. Strangely, he recognized the scent of roses. A quiet laugh came from right behind him.

“Hello?”

“I didn’t expect to see you anytime soon.” A woman’s voice traveled around to his right. He drew in a sharp breath, both excited and nervous that this had worked.

“You're Charlie, right?”

“Who else? You apparently know all about me already.”

“I only know what happened to you. And…I’m sorry about that, but I really needed to talk to you about…”

“Don’t apologize.” She cut him off. “Yes, I was brought here against my will thanks to that idiot magician, but I’ve grown beyond that. Surely you must know you are speaking to the queen of this realm.”

“I-yes. That’s actually why I came. Do you know who I am?”

“The little moon brat. Yes, I know who you are. You’re really far from home, aren’t you?” Her voice sounded condescending.

“Well, I am aware that the shadows and the moon are on…differing sides, and since we both represent them I thought we could…”

He felt a sudden icy hand around his throat. “I do not represent them!” she growled. “Everyone else was too weak to break from their control, but I am bound to no one but myself. Never presume that they control me again, understand?” Wisp could only nod, and she let him go. “So, what is it that you want?”

“I…well I did come here to negotiate. But I also came on behalf of your sister. I spoke with Winona and she misses you. Surely you wouldn’t want to see your sister suffer, right?” He heard another low chuckle from the darkness.

“She has her part to play in this, you’ll see.”

“But…”

“I think we’re done here. Tell that weakling by the fire that he should have killed me while he had the chance on the throne. In fact, I think I’ll tell him myself.” Wisp felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest, and then nothing.

Maxwell waited anxiously by the fire, trying not to let his memories overwhelm him. Wickerbottom had told him that it was healthier for him to focus on doing right by them now, but it was hard to avoid the angry stares. Wilson had surprisingly been the most forgiving. He wouldn’t have blamed him for trying to kill them right then and there when he first showed up to the barebones settlement. He had punched him though. They fought a few times, but then seemed to get it out of their systems and settled into a strange friendship. It did help to have someone who knew what it was like on the throne.

He could hear nothing from the darkness, but after a while he heard the telltale whoosh and smelled the roses coming near. The ring of light around the fire was small; a tiny part of him in the back of his mind told him to just let it go out and get it all over with. Instead, he stood up and squinted into the darkness, trying to see any sign of her. He saw movement, and then heard her voice so quiet he had to strain to listen.

“Don’t think this will be over anytime soon. I’m coming for you, William.” Then another rush of air and she was gone. He waited fearfully for Wisp to return, but after half and hour of standing there, shaking, there was still no sign of him. He sat back down on the ground, not caring about the state of his suit, and cried.


	5. Wisp Reads a Book

Morning eventually dawned after a sleepless night, and Maxwell got up and stretched uncomfortably. He gathered up his pack and left the dying fire in the direction he had seen Wisp go last night. It took him a while, but he eventually found the body. It was mangled in the same way all of Charlie’s victims were. He made a face of disgust, then looked around for his ghost. They were sometimes hard to spot, but Maxwell couldn’t see his anywhere. His heart dropped as he looked closer at the body. Things in the Constant decayed quickly, so normally the body would be almost bones by now, but it still looked relatively fresh. His mind took a moment to process, and when it did he had to move away to vomit. It was rare that he was affected by gore, but seeing the young-looking man lying permanently dead and ripped up, knowing he had meant only the best…. It was too much. Once he composed himself, he headed back to camp. This piece of news was not going to go over well. He decided not to share what the moon prince’s goal was; it wouldn’t change anything and only make everyone upset. As he reached the outer wall, he grimaced, and pushed open the gate.

Wisp’s body sat untouched for days. During the day it would start to rot, but at night the moon shone upon it and seemed to slowly turn back time so that it was newly dead in the morning. Finally, the night of the full moon, its power was enough that the wounds fully closed, and the boy began to stir. The first thing he noticed was an intense pain that slowly faded. As his surroundings became clearer, he slowly sat up, rubbing his head. He smiled up at the full moon and waved in greeting. Getting up, he felt incredibly stiff, but soon was able to walk just fine. It took him a moment to notice the blood soaking through his clothes. He gasped and looked underneath, but his skin was unbroken. The events of the night before came back to him, and he rushed toward where Maxwell had made the fire. Nothing remained, not even ashes.

Wisp really hoped he hadn’t been gone long; he didn’t want anyone to worry. He slowly made his way back to camp, basking in the moon rays and feeling his power return to him. By the time he reached the settlement, the sun had risen. It was hotter than before; rays of bright white light beat down on Wisp’s head and made him start to sweat. He drowsily pushed open the gate, still a bit disoriented. That quickly went away as he heard a scream. In front of him, Webber stood shocked. The spider legs on his head were flared out and his fur seemed to stand on end. Wisp looked down at himself. Oh, right. The blood.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not actually hurt…”

“Zombie!” Webber shrieked and ran further into camp. Wisp stood there, not really sure what to do. After only a moment, Ms. Wickerbottom came running up to him.

“What…how…” Her eyes were wide and she was shaking.

“I’m fine. The moon healed me. Has summer started? It’s really hot.” The librarian rushed forward and pulled him into an embrace. “Oh, careful, there’s blood.”

“You’ve been dead for days! We thought you were gone for good, Maxwell couldn’t find a way to revive you…” She sniffled and pulled away, composing herself. “We should let everyone know of this phenomenon.” Wisp smiled and followed her, happy to see her again.

Everyone was understandably shocked to see a blood soaked Wisp back in one piece. Wendy was the only one unfazed, and simply asked him questions about what he remembered from being dead. He told her there was nothing, and she seemed disappointed. Willow punched him in the arm and hugged him, which confused him, but she seemed relieved to see him. Winona was practically choking trying to hold back tears, while Maxwell looked sort of numb. Wisp excused himself to go wash up and repair the holes in his clothing. Wilson ended up coming to help with the sewing; Wisp didn’t have any other clothes yet, but having his shirt off in the heat felt nice. Wilson asked him a bunch of questions, and since Wilson had trusted him earlier, he told him what had happened.

“So overall, she seems really pissed off,” Wisp concluded. 

“Wow, yeah it sounds like it.” Both had abandoned their sewing as Wisp retold his semi-traumatic experience. “Do you think there’s anything we can do about it?”

“I don’t know. I thought that if it went bad I could have Winona talk to her, but she still doesn’t want to.” He huffed in frustration. “I see what you meant now, about seeing Maxwell on the throne. I know she’s taken her anger out on everyone here in horrible ways, but all I want to do is help. For her and Winona’s sakes.”

“Yeah…” Wilson picked up his sewing again, thinking. “I know this sounds bad, but maybe the best thing to do is to beat her. If we can take her power away, maybe she’d be more willing to listen? No, not really, she’d just be forced to listen. Still, it’s something.”

“I don’t know. The more I think about it, the more I think I should just stay out of it. I thought being a neutral party would help, but now it just seems like it’s not my business.”

“What? You can’t give up just after one try!”

“That one try killed me. I’m not eager to go through that again.”

“That’s true, but…”

“No! It’s not my place! I never should’ve gotten involved.” Wisp tied off the last stich, pulled his repaired shirt over his head, and quickly escaped the tent. Once outside, he realized that what he really wanted was to talk to Maxwell.

He found him resting in the shade under a lean to. He still had his full suit on, and seemed to be defiantly suffering through the heat.

“Mind if I join you?” Wisp asked.

“No, not at all. It’s completely not unnerving to sit next to you when I last saw you as a corpse.”

“Right. I’m…sorry?” Maxwell sighed and moved over to make room.

“What do you want?”

“I’m not sure, exactly. I feel really conflicted over trying to talk to Charlie and I thought you might know how to handle it?”

“Don’t ask me. I’ve failed her more times than I can count.”

“She’s furious, and I think there won’t be a way to get through to her.”

“You think?!” He raised his voice in anger. “I should hope so, you got yourself ripped to shreds just from one conversation!”

“I didn’t know that would happen! I thought I could get the light going before…”

“Before an unseen force faster than any of us decided to kill you? Tell me, how long did the conversation even last? Were you able to get only a sentence in, or did you start chatting about teatime before she got bored and ended it?”

“We did not chat about teatime! We talked about the shadows and the moon fighting, and her sister being upset, and…important things! It wasn’t much, but I think I could maybe do it again, if I weren’t so worried about how Winona would feel.”

“You want advice? Here’s my advice: don’t bother. She’d just as soon kill us as look at us, and it’s been the same way since this whole thing started.”

“You don’t really believe she had no chance at redemption. You’ve been pretty decent so far.”

“That’s different. It was my own stupidity that landed me here, and she got dragged in by accident. Imagine if you didn’t choose to leave the moon, and it was my fault you were here, would you forgive me?”

“Is that what this is about? You don’t feel like you can be forgiven so you don’t think she should be?”

“No!” Maxwell pounded his fists on the ground. The action seemed to leave him exhausted. He stared at the ground in silence.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Wisp said quietly.

“Don’t bother apologizing to me. You’re right, I don’t feel like I can ever make up for what I did. I want to make it up to her the most. But I can’t.” He laughed bitterly. “I didn’t even know her that long, you know. When she joined on as my assistant, she was so sweet that I liked her immediately. I think she used to care about me too, once. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t picked up that book.”

“What book?”

“Here.” He handed Wisp a dark tome with a bright letter M inscribed on the front. “The Codex. I don’t know how it found its way into our world, but it has all sorts of information about this place.”

“Can I read it?”

“Knock yourself out.” He stood up and stretched. “I’m getting some food. I’ll see you later.”

Wisp was already engrossed in the book by the time he left. There were detailed drawings of all kinds of shadow creatures: the surface-dwelling ones that Wisp sometimes saw out of the corner of his eye when he’d had a particularly stressful day, larger ones that dwelled underground in the caves, a massive beast-like being called the Fuelweaver. That one in particular interested him; the book spoke of an ancient civilization that had gone to ruin, and that beast was all that was left of its former power. There were diagrams of different architecture and machines that these ancient people had built, and spells, and history, and all sorts of things about the beings that originally inhabited the Constant. What an ironic name, for a world that changed so frequently.

He barely noticed when the sun went down. Realizing how hungry he was, he snapped the book shut and went to find something in the icebox. Willow and Wigfrid were sitting by the fire, swapping stories from their days. Wisp grabbed some jerky and munched on it as he opened the book again and walked back toward his tent.

“Hey, what are you doing with that old weirdo’s book?” Willow called out to him.

“Research,” he said absentmindedly, and retreated to the cluster of tents. Before entering, he paused for a moment, looking out into the solid darkness beyond the wall.

“I’m going to fix this,” he murmured, then disappeared inside.

Wisp picked up the book again as soon as he woke up. He read outside in the shade of a nearby tree, which was cooler than the enclosed space of his tent. Someone had started a fire in a blue firepit Wisp had noticed earlier, and he felt a wave of cold air as the wind blew the fire in his direction. A moment of recognition, and he flipped to an earlier page that detailed a power generator that made a cold fire just like that one. He walked over to sit by the fire and compared it to the diagram in the book. This one was much more primitive, but it seemed to function the same way. His thoughts were interrupted by a grumpy Maxwell.

“I need that back today. We’re running low on stone and it has fallen to me to collect some.”

“Yeah, yeah, just a minute,” Wisp waved him off.

“I meant now.”

“Can I at least copy down this passage?”

“Wait, can you understand that gibberish?” Maxwell sat down and looked at the book over Wisp’s shoulder.

“You can’t?”

“Of course not, the language doesn’t exist in our world.”

“No wonder you messed it up so badly!” Wisp quickly turned a snort of laughter into a cough. “Sorry, sensitive topic. But, yes, I can understand this just fine. Some of the words are a bit old-fashioned, but I suppose that makes sense given how old it is.”

“How old it…why didn’t you tell me you could read it?”

“I don’t know, why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t?”

“Look, I do actually need that, but when I get back we’re going to discuss this further.”

“Alright,” Wisp handed the book over. “Have fun!” Maxwell glared and walked off.

Wisp had been doing nothing but thinking about Charlie and pouring over the book since yesterday, so it was a bit of a surprise when he remembered he had to pull his own weight again. The farms needed tending to, so he enlisted Willow’s help since she was the only one who seemed to enjoy the sweltering heat. Both grabbed straw hats to shield their heads and got to work. Willow tilled the soil and replanted half of the planters, while Wisp harvested the others that had fully grown. Thankfully, Winona had designed an irrigation system that led to a nearby pond, which she was working on a few meters away. It was grueling work, and Wisp had to take a break to cool off under a tree. He invited Willow to join him, but she continued on, occasionally popping a piece of ice in her mouth to suck on.

Wisp already wished he had the Codex back for something to do. He made idle chit-chat with Willow, but his mind was on the different shadowy beings he had seen illustrated in the book.

“Hey birdbrain, how about carrying that pumpkin over to the icebox instead of standing in the middle of a field?” She interrupted his thoughts. 

“Right, I’ll get on that.” She smiled and rolled her eyes as he walked off with the large vegetable. When he came back, she was leaning on her shovel and wiping a large amount of sweat from her forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay, just a little hot is all. Even this is a lot for me.” She straightened up but immediately stumbled, catching herself on her shovel.”

“Willow…”

“I’m fine. Just need some water…” Winona was walking towards them with a box of tools, finished with her work when Willow stumbled again.

“Whoa there!” She ran up and caught her just as she keeled over. “Hey, help me get her in the shade.” The two carried her over to the tree. Luckily, her eyes open after just a few seconds.

“Wha-what happened?”

“You passed out. Comes with working too hard in this heat. Here,” Winona handed her a cup of water. “You should be more careful next time.”

“I will,” Willow mumbled. Her face was flushed as she drank down the water. She leaned back against the tree trunk, awkwardly fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

“Alright. Wisp, you got her?”

“Yes, I’ll make sure she’s okay.”

“Good. I gotta drop these off, and then I’ll help you with the rest of the planting.” She walked off with her toolbox. Willow groaned.

“That was stupid.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sure lots of people have passed out in the heat before.”

“Yeah, but I should know my limits better than that.” She took another sip of water.

“Why didn’t you take a break then?”

“I don’t know!” She lightly threw her head against the tree trunk. “I thought I could keep going, instead I just embarrassed myself.”

“Willow, I know it’s unfortunate but you should be fine. It’s not a big deal, right?”

“It should be.” She looked down at the ground, blushing. “I just…really don’t like that I looked stupid in front of Winona.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t think you’re stupid.”

“Ugh, maybe. She’s just so…cool, and smart, and strong, and I want to impress her.” She threw her forearm over her eyes. “That’s dumb, right?”

“No, I don’t think so. She is pretty cool. Just don’t beat yourself up about it; she’ll know if you’re trying too hard.”

Willow snorted. “How would you know?”

“Willow, I’ve been trying to impress everyone since I got here. It’s easier to not try and be something different than you are.”

“Yeah, I guess. This is different though.”

“How so?”

“You’re so naïve,” Willow laughed. “In a good way. Maybe I’ll explain when you’re older.”

“I’m older than all of you.”

“Fair point.” She pulled herself to her feet. “I’m feeling better now, lets get this farming stuff over with.”

“Fine, but you better tell me what’s going on.”

“Later,” Willow glanced at Winona returning with a shovel and a handful of seeds. They finished the rest of the planting fairly quickly. Wisp caught Willow staring at Winona a few times when she wasn’t looking. Whatever she was doing, it wasn’t making sense to him. Maybe it was a girl thing. Although he thought he would probably understand it if it was that; he’d only been a boy for a few weeks.

Wisp ate alone when evening was approaching. The air was cooling off, finally. He decided that he hated summer, and hoped it ended soon. He saw Maxwell approaching with a backpack full of rocks, as well as Wilson who was cheerfully telling some kind of story. Wisp waved at both of them and they walked over.

“How did the mining trip go?”

“Good! We have plenty of nitre now, so we can keep the ice machines running for the rest of the season.” Wilson set down his back and stretched; his back popped a few times. “I can’t wait for night, this heat is killing me.”

“You can say that again.” Wisp groaned. “I’m going to have to wash all this sweat out of my feathers and it’s going to take forever.”

“That…sounds kind of gross,” Wilson commented. “Well, I’ll be passed out in my tent if you need me.” He walked off.

“I have the book.” Maxwell set down his bag and pulled the Codex out of it.

“Oh, good! I’ve been wanting to read that section about the shadow monsters again.”

“Wait.” Maxwell held the book away. “Before we get too deep into this, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Not really. All the stuff down here is still pretty new to me. But that’s why I’m reading the book, isn’t it?”

“That’s probably the best we’re going to get.” He handed the book over. “So what have you found out?”

“All sorts of things. This book is a pretty extensive record of the origins of this place.”

“Yes, yes, that’s fascinating. What about something that could help us?”

“I’ve been looking into that.” Wisp thumbed through the pages until he landed on the one he was looking for. The illustration was just a dark rectangle. “This is, well, sort of the entity at the top. It doesn’t have a name, it’s more of a force than anything else. But it has a will, and that will is executed by those lower than it. Including the humans that end up on the throne.”

“That’s what was behind it all?” Maxwell thought for a bit. “I remember hearing something, like voices in the back of my mind. I was aware that something was moving me toward doing certain things, though I still chose how I did it.”

“What sort of things?”

“I didn’t really understand. It wanted me to bring in more people though.” He cringed. “I tried to pick those who I knew might find an escape in this place.”

“So if it wants something, it will try and manipulate people to do it… That explains why Charlie felt she was in control. She doesn’t know about this.”

“She thought…she thinks she’s not influenced by Them?”

“That’s what she told me. She was adamant about it.”

“That’s not good. That’s really not good.” Maxwell groaned. “She’s going to think everything she does is her own choice. That’s almost worse than knowing you’re being manipulated.”

“Right.” Wisp gazed down at the book, concerned. “I don’t know how we could make her see that. But I think we have to.”

“And how do you propose we do that?”

“Umm…. Wilson mentioned that if we were to, well, remove her from power she might be more open to listening to us.”

“I agree.”

“Really? I thought you wouldn’t want to fight her.”

“I don’t, but these things have changed her. Removing her from the situation is the best we can do for her.”

“We should tell Winona. She wants Charlie back too; I know she’d be willing to help us.”

“She won’t like working with me.”

“Well, she’ll have to. This is our best shot.”


	6. The Group Builds a Portal

Winona sat in complete silence as Wisp explained everything to her. The conversation with Charlie, the book, the plan to go against Them. When he finished, she took a long time to process.

“Well,” she finally said. “You’re right. This is the best option we have.”

“And you’re okay with trying it?”

“I think this whole thing is crazy. But if it will get Charlie back, then of course I want to help.”

“Good!” Wisp clapped his hands together. “So, we need to decide if we’re going to tell everyone. The numbers could prove an advantage when we face her, but it also might be easier to get to wherever she is with only a few of us.”

“Let’s tell everyone, but not bring them all.” Winona looked down at the ground. “You, me, and Maxwell will go of course. I think Wilson would be willing too. And if it’s going to be a fight, Willow should come along as well.”

“Why not Wigfrid? Or Wolfgang?”

“They’re both too reckless. They’d go straight for the kill.”

“Right.” Wisp swallowed uncomfortably. “So, a group of five. That sounds good.”

“Let’s tell everyone tonight. And Wisp?”

“Yes?”

“I want you to be in charge of all this. I still don’t trust Maxwell, and this magic stuff is way above my paygrade.”

“Oh. Okay, I guess so. I’ve never really led anyone before.”

“You’ll do great.” Winona walked off to her tent.

“I hope so,” Wisp said to empty air.

He explained the plan to the whole group of survivors that evening. Some, like WX, didn’t seem to care, only wanting to not worry about the dark anymore. Others were worried, but agreed that a smaller group would be best. Wilson and Willow were both enthusiastic to help. And just like that, the most ambitious project the survivors had ever attempted began. 

“So, how are we going to get to her?” Winona said to the group. They were all seated on the wooden floor near the food preparing station. “Wilson? You’ve been in the throne room before, and you said she’s still there.

“Yes.” Wilson cleared his throat. He glanced at Maxwell, who seemed to be reluctant to participate in the discussion. “Before, Maxwell created challenges that I had to get through, but I don’t know if she’ll do the same. When she sent me back here, she created a portal, so maybe we could figure out how to do the same.”

“Yeah, but how the hell are we going to make a portal?” Willow chimed in.

“I haven’t been able to find anything like that in the book,” Wisp added.

“Maybe we don’t have to use weird shadow magic,” Wilson suggested. “We could go the mechanical route and build a doorway. I still remember the first one I built, and Maxwell definitely knows since he told me how.”

“Okay, good, that’s something I can work with.” Winona grinned. “How long do you think it will take?”

“A couple of days, assuming we can find the materials,” Maxwell finally spoke up. “It will be harder in a wilderness than in a fully functioning lab.”

“You made one here before, right?” Wilson asked.

“When I had control over every inch of the place, yes.” Maxwell rolled his eyes. “I can’t do any more than you now.”

“Okay, so we start on the door,” Wisp concluded. “And if I find anything better, we can do that instead.”

“This is going to take forever,” Willow groaned.

They didn’t have much to work with, but all the survivors had a knack for making all they needed out of barely anything. Some wood and stone provided the basic outline, which Winona oversaw with some input from Wilson. It was difficult work in the summer, but several days in the weather started to get marginally cooler.

“Autumn will be here soon,” Winona pointed out.

“Oh thank god,” Wisp sighed. “I’m so tired of my wings being constantly sticky.”

“You know, I could help you wash them out.” Winona offered. “I actually wouldn’t mind a closer look at the structure.”

“Thanks for the offer, but they’re pretty sensitive. I think it’s best if I do it myself.”

“Alright.” They had begun to move on to the moving structures. They had to be conservative with the few gears they had left, but Winona was able to stretch them pretty far.

“Damn, I need a few more. I’ve done what I can but I’m not a miracle worker.”

“There’s some clockworks a few miles away,” Wilson said. “We may have to take a day to travel and kill some.”

“There’s also the divining rod,” Maxwell added.

“You still have that?!” Wilson exclaimed.

“Yes. It doesn’t work anymore so I haven’t done anything with it.”

“What’s a divining rod?” Winona asked.

“I’ll go get it and show you.” Maxwell returned with a strange device on a long stick.

“That’s a Voxola radio!” Winona snatched the device from him and turned it over. “It’s still intact!”

“What’s Voxola?” Wisp asked, joining her to look at the device.

“The company I worked for,” Winona said absentmindedly. “I wonder if I could get this to work again…”

“Won’t there be no signal in here?” Willow pointed out.

“Maybe, but if it functioned before there might be some kind of signal we can pick up.”

“I say we try and see what we can get from it,” Wisp suggested. “We can get some gears from the clockworks.”

“Wilson and I can head out tomorrow,” said Willow.

“Great! I’ll see what I can do with this thing.” Winona walked over to the few tools she had managed to make and started fiddling with the radio.

“Well, that’s about all we can do for today.” Wisp stretched. “I’m about ready to turn in.”

“I agree,” Maxwell sighed. “See you tomorrow.”

Winona spent most of her time tinkering with the radio, so it fell to Wilson to figure out the rest of the doorway once he and Willow got back with the gears. Within a day, he had basically finished the basic structure.

“So, what now?” Satisfied, Wilson wiped his hands off and set down the tool he had been using.

“Now, we have to power it.” Maxwell held the book in his hands, open to the page about doorways. Wisp looked on over his shoulder.

“It looks like we’ll have to use that nightmare stuff you showed me.”

“Yes. It won’t be easy though. I work with the fuel often and it takes a lot of concentration.”

“You want to do it alone?” Wisp asked, a bit concerned.

“I assure you there is nothing to worry about. I have the most experience, and anyone else would just get in the way.”

“Alright then, if you’re sure.” Wisp nodded to Wilson and Willow. The three of them left as Maxwell began to manipulate the nightmare fuel, letting it flow over the machinery.

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Wilson looked back over his shoulder.

“Yeah, sure. He says he knows what he’s doing.” Willow reassured him. “Let’s go see if Winona’s made any progress with the radio.”

Judging from the screwdriver that came flying against the wall, nearly missing the top of Wisp’s head, she was not making much progress. Her face was flushed with anger as she pounded the radio against her workbench.

“Work…you…stupid…piece of crap!” She sighed as she saw the three of them, wearing similar expressions of fear. “Sorry. I’ve been at this for days and nothing I tried is working.” She rubbed her temples.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Willow said with uncharacteristic softness. She walked forward to examine the radio. “It’s no big deal if it doesn’t work.”

“I know, but…” Winona growled in frustration. “I’ve already worked so hard. I can’t stand having wasted all this time.”

“I mean, we did just fine on the portal without you. Not that-“ Willow backpedaled when Winona glared up at her. “I mean, I’m not saying we didn’t need you. It would have been way easier with you there, and we barely figured it out.”

“Hey!” Wilson said indignantly.

“Shut up! Sorry, I just meant…” Willow became more flustered. “We need you just as much as anyone else, Winona. More, even.” Winona laughed and placed a hand on Willow’s arm.

“I get it. Thanks for the encouragement.”

“N-no problem.” Willow stared at where her hand rested on her forearm. “Is there anything we…I could do to help? With the radio?”

“I don’t think so.” Winona withdrew her hand and picked up the radio again. “I’ve already tried everything I can think of.”

“I’m sure there’s something else. Maybe you just need a new perspective?” Willow kneeled down so that she was level with the bench. “I don’t know what this doohickey does, but it looks like it’s important.”

“That’s the receiver. It’s what I can’t get to work, and what we need to be able to pick up a signal.” She gazed up at Willow, deep in thought. “You might be right about the new perspective thing. Maybe if I explain it again I’ll find something I missed.”

“Sure, I mean, if you think that’ll help I can stay.”

“Yes, please.” She opened up the back of the radio and started taking out parts. Wilson and Wisp decided to leave them to their work. Wilson seemed restless as they headed over toward the kitchen area to help with preparing food.

“What’s wrong?” Wisp asked.

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just anxious about Maxwell. What if he gets himself hurt?”

“I think he knows what he’s doing.”

“Yeah, but…he’s messed up before. It’s not that I’m not confident in his abilities, I just think…well, anything could happen.”

“Well, he said he needed to concentrate, so I don’t think he’d be happy if you watched.”

“Yeah, probably not.” Wilson sighed. “I just can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Here.” Wisp handed him a chunk of ham. “Maybe you can distract yourself by working on cutting that up.” He grabbed another and joined him in slicing the meat off from the bone.

“I hope so.” Wilson took the sharpened piece of flint they used for a knife and joined Wisp.

The next few hours passed quietly in the camp. Ms. Wickerbottom had managed to brew some kind of tea with flower petals, and Wisp and Wilson gladly accepted her offer of steaming mugs. Wisp admired the well crafted clay containers; they were a little lumpy, but they worked well. And the tea was delicious. He felt some of the tension and worry leave his body, and let himself relax and chat casually with the librarian. Humans had come up with some pretty great ways to spend their leisure time.

The sun had begun to set when Maxwell staggered back into the camp. Wilson noticed and quickly rushed up to the haggard-looking man.

“It’s done.” His hands twitched and he had dark rings around his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Wilson helped steady him.

“I’m...fine.” Maxwell winced. Wisp noticed he had covered his hands with gloves, and a slight tendril of black showed on his skin right by his hairline.

“You don’t look fine.” Wilson guided him almost forcefully toward the fire and sat him down. “Here,” he handed him his mug of still warm tea. Maxwell took it without arguing and took a sip. He stared blankly into the fire.

“What happened?” Wisp asked.

“Working with this kind of magic can strain the body, that’s all.” Maxwell’s hands shook as he clasped them around the mug.

“You’re not making any shadow puppets until you’re better, understood?” Wilson scolded. Maxwell glowered at him but nodded. He sat in silent, sipping his tea as the others went back to their work. Wisp kept an eye on him as he went about the various tasks that needed done before night. Eventually, he took a break and got some food. Several others were eating meals nearby as well. The atmosphere was less comfortable than usual as people kept glancing over at Maxwell, still shaking a bit.

“Are you feeling any better?” Wisp asked.

“A bit.” He rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to keep looking after me like a sick child.”

“I know. But I will anyway.” Wisp patted his shoulder gently. “You’re a part of this group too, and I don’t want you hurt.”

“Thanks for the sentiment,” he said flatly.

“I mean it. I care about you, and I know I’m not the only one.” Maxwell didn’t reply. Wisp let him, and sat in comfortable silence as he ate. The silence was interrupted by an ungodly screech, and a yell that sounded like Winona. Wisp jumped up, looking frantically around for a nearby weapon. The others sitting by the fire did the same. Winona came running into the light, waving the radio and followed closely by a grinning Willow.

“I did it! We did it!” She shouted. “Listen!” She held the radio out in her hands and everyone fell silent. All they could hear was static at first, but then a quiet melody crept through the noise. Soon the music flooded the camp; an upbeat, jazzy song.

“You found music!” Webber squealed in excitement. This set off a wave of excited voices, congratulating Winona and exclaiming happily.

“Shhh. There’s no point in having music if you are all blabbering too loudly to hear it,” Wickerbottom hushed. The talking faded to a quiet murmur as the song reached everyone again. The rest of the survivors drifted in from different parts of the camp as they heard the music, and soon they were all circled around the radio sitting on top of a nearby chest. Everyone was happier than Wisp had seen them in a long time; Wickerbottom had her eyes closed peacefully with a smile on her face, the children were sprawled out on the grass, waving their legs in time with the music, and Wolfgang was silently crying, trying to hide at the back of the group. Willow was sitting close to Winona, both grinning ear to ear in pride. Wilson had arrived and energetically tapped his foot to the music. Even Maxwell had perked up and was listening with satisfaction, a lot more at ease now.

“Gosh, I still can’t believe that worked.” Willow said. “You’re a genius Winona!”

“Hey, come on, you helped!” She jostled her playfully with her elbow. Willow shoved back, laughing.

“I used to listen to this song all the time while I was working,” Wilson added. “It’s so strange to hear something so familiar again.” His eyes were a bit misty as well.

“Yeah! This one is my favorite!” Webber jumped up, dragging Wendy up with him. “Come on, let’s dance!” Wendy seemed reluctant, but as he grabbed her hands and spun them both around, she started to giggle quietly. Everyone laughed cheerfully at the excited children, who clumsily spun around in circles. Eventually they made themselves dizzy and had to stop, but started back up again as soon as they could. Abigail was humming happily, floating in circles above them. Willow jumped up, fire in her eyes.

“Hey, Winona, want to dance?” She held out a hand. 

“Sure!” She grabbed her hand and was pulled up. They fell into a much more controlled swing, taking a moment to adjust to each other’s speed, but soon stepping and twirling with grace. A few others joined them, and soon the camp was a lively dance floor. Eager to join in, Wisp walked up to Wickerbottom, who was watching the scene contentedly.

“Ms. Wickerbottom, can you teach me how to dance?”

“Yes, if you would like.” She stood up, brushing her skirt off. “I’m a bit out of practice, but I remember the basics.” She took his hands in hers and showed him the steps, guiding him even as he danced the lead position. He was clumsy, but eventually picked up the basic steps. He continued dancing with her, swinging past the others who were laughing and humming along. A few switched partners, and Willow grinned mischievously at Wisp. She was a lot better than him, and laughed as he stumbled along. He couldn’t help but join in, aware of how ridiculous he must look. Winona forced Wilson to dance the following position, as she only knew lead, and teased him as he struggled to follow the steps in reverse. Everyone celebrated long into the night, ignoring the need for sleep as they enjoyed one of the few real moments of escapism.

Wisp noticed with surprise that Winona sat down to rest near Maxwell. She grumpily folded her arms, pointedly ignoring him, but the gesture was not lost on Maxwell. He let her be, and the two shared a rare moment of peace. Wilson nearly crashed into Wisp, out of breath and dizzy.

“This reminds me!” he shouted over the music. “I’ve been working on a project that I think would be really fun!”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been trying to brew alcohol!”

“What’s that?”

“You’ll see!” He moved away to sit down.

Wisp had never understood physical touch before. He hadn’t had anyone on the moon, and to him a connection meant only communication. Now, however, as he danced with the people he had come to know as friends, he felt a warmth in his chest grow at the shoulder touches, held hands, and the warmth from their skin. He decided he wanted this more often, and went to sleep feeling fuller than ever.


	7. Wisp has a Bad dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added some dividers between changes in point of view, hopefully it's less confusing. Also Charlie is super fun to write as a villain.

It was easy to forget moments of joy when reality made itself known once again. Wisp was flung into a dream that night that he wasn’t sure was actually a dream. He was standing on the surface of a dark lake in an empty void, just barely able to see. A woman stood in front of him with her arms crossed, in a black dress with a rose in her hair. As soon as she spoke Wisp knew that it was Charlie.

“What are you doing here, really?”

“I told you already, I’m here for peace-“

“Bullshit.” She cut him off. “Everyone has some selfish motivation. What’s yours?”

“I-I guess freedom? I thought coming down here would make me feel less trapped. The moon is my home, but I’ve always wanted to see more.”

“And you’ve gotten that, yes?”

“I suppose. I like the friends I’ve made, I like having new things to do, even if it is hard work sometimes.”

“And yet, you’re working with them to try and escape.”

“Well, yes. They want to go back to their home.”

“What do you think is out there? In their world?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t asked.”

“It’s not the kind of place you would like.” She smirked. “It may have some comforts you don’t have here, yes, but it can be cruel. Especially to people like you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You aren’t human. Even if your wings weren’t a dead giveaway, you don’t know enough about them to act normal. They’d toss you out, and you’d be left alone again.”

“That’s not true! Everyone here doesn’t care that I’m not human, I could just stay with them.”

“You really think they’ll stick around?” She laughed sharply. “They’ve all got homes and families they’re missing. No one would bother staying with the people they were forced to suffer with. They’ll all leave you.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Wisp tried not to show that her words had gotten under his skin. “What do you care about what they do when they leave? You’re the one keeping them here and making them suffer.”

“And I’d like to keep it that way. I know what you’re planning, and I can tell you that your meddling will ruin even the little stability I’ve graciously allowed you. If you succeed in stealing me from my throne, one of two things will happen. Either They will grow tired of your games and kill us all, or you’ll find some way to escape. Neither outcome is favorable for us, is it?”

“Maybe not you. But I know we could escape.”

“And that would be the end for you.” She moved closer, forcing him to take a step back. “This is your home. These poor survivors are your home. Do you really want to be thrown into an unforgiving world? I can be reasoned with. That world has no ruler, it is chaos and injustice and meaningless pleas to an uncaring universe.”

“If you hate it so much, then why are you upset about ending up here?” He stared at her, trying to appear more confident than he felt. “You seem to like it, yet you still have it out for Maxwell.”

“That man deserves everything that’s coming to him.” She snarled. “Yes, I ended up here, but before that I was nothing more than a pitiful wretch, clawing my way through the darkness, unable to get anywhere near the light.” She shivered. “I hated it, you know. The darkness. I used to dread nightfall. Your moon is a reminder of that horrid time. Now, however, I’ve embraced it.” She spread her arms wide into the dark space around her. “I conquered the shadows and made them mine to command. No one can take that from me.” She glared, and fluid shadows even darker than the space around them began to crawl from below her, spreading outward towards Wisp. “I’m telling you one last time. Stop trying to find me. You’re hardly a threat but I can’t risk losing everything I’ve worked so hard for. I’m sure you can understand.” She smiled, her dark lips standing out against her pale face. Suddenly, images flashed through Wisp’s head of the survivors dying. Willow freezing to death. Wilson being mauled by a hound. Wendy overtaken by spiders, Webber on fire, Winona disappearing into darkness. He cried out, begging her to stop.

“Consider this your last warning. You won’t have the luxury of simply watching their deaths next time.” She snapped her fingers, and the shadows at her feet crawled up and enveloped Wisp’s body. He woke up coughing, choking down breath as he tried to claw at the shadows that were no longer suffocating him.

Once he finally was able to breathe normally, he sat gazing at his lantern, contemplating what to do. He knew her threats were serious, but he couldn’t abandon the goal his friends were so desperate for. He shook his head. Was she right, or was she just trying to trick him? He knew nothing about the world they came from, so she could just tell him anything and he’d have no idea if it was true. He considered asking someone, but then he thought of them having families and homes. He didn’t think he could hear them talk about how badly they wanted to get back, knowing that he’d be left behind. He lay back down, but never was able to fall back asleep.

The portal was finished. It was a looming, rickety looking thing, but Maxwell had assured them all it would work.

“Who wants to do the honors?” he asked. After a moment of silence, Winona stepped forward and threw the switch. Metal pieces grinded together and the whole thing shuddered, shadows flowing in and out of the woodworks as it came to life.

“It worked!” Wilson exclaimed, the scientist part of him very satisfied. The opening in the door swirled with black and white fog, the destination unclear.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Winona stepped into the portal without hesitation. Willow followed closely behind. Wilson and Maxwell hesitated, before going in together. Wisp hung back and found himself unable to follow. His nightmare still haunted him, and the thought of being alone had begun to overwhelm him like an infection. He could feel several pairs of eyes on him, whether they were the other survivors or something else he did not know, but he couldn’t stand worrying any longer. He stepped toward the door, then quickly took flight and arced above it.

He glanced down at the camp only once, once he was far enough away to not see the expressions on his friend’s faces. It looked bigger than he remembered it appearing all those times he gazed at it from his home. He tried to force down the feeling of guilt, and soared upward back to the glowing moon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The four survivors stepped out of the portal into complete darkness. Willow quickly flicked on her lighter and held it up, trying to see anything about the environment they were in. The floor was checkered marble, not clean like they saw in the overworld but dusty, and covered in dead foliage.

“Is this the throne room?” Wilson whispered.

“I don’t know. It feels different, but it always does when someone new takes over,” Maxwell replied.

“Only one way to find out.” Willow lead everyone further into the room. She jumped slightly as a giant stone structure loomed suddenly into view, nearly crashing into Winona behind her. It too was made of marble, and smelt of ash.

“Those are your lights…” Wilson mumbled to Maxwell. “Did you put them anywhere besides the throne room?”

“No.” The other man grimaced. The torch suddenly sprang to life, flickering with a dark purple flame. Wilson yelped and jumped backward, and they all gazed with dread at the long pathway in front of them. They couldn’t see the end, but a waft of air smelling strongly of roses made it clear what, or rather who, the hallway lead towards. Willow kept her lighter out, holding it close for comfort.

“Let’s get this over with.” Maxwell sighed dejectedly, and now he took the lead. Wilson followed close behind, glancing back and forth nervously. Maxwell placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “She won’t attack us yet. There’s nothing to worry about from out there.”

“That’s comforting…” Wilson meant to sound sarcastic but just sounded worried.

Willow noticed Winona hanging back. “Are you ready?”

“Not really. I haven’t seen my sister in years.” She shivered. “What if she really can’t come back?”

“She will. If nothing else, you’ll make her. You can do just about anything.” She smiled warmly despite the bleak atmosphere. Winona was surprised at the praise, but it was not unwelcome. She took a deep breath then slipped her hand into Willow’s for comfort. As expected, the other woman’s skin radiated warmth. They both picked up the pace with more confidence, although Willow was blushing furiously.

The throne was much different from the nightmare throne Wilson and Maxwell had been used to. An elegant stairway led up to a more comfortable looking chair. The whole area was decorated with dark urns filled with roses, their scent sweet and overpowering. Charlie looked down at all of them from her position on the throne, the picture of elegance as she smiled coldly. Winona held back a gasp. She looked so different from the young girl she remembered. She didn’t think she had ever seen her sister wear black before, but now she truly did look like a dark queen.

“Welcome! So good of you to finally pay me a visit.” The queen gestured to the large room. “Don’t you just love what I’ve done with the place?” They all stayed silence, and Charlie seemed to relish in their fear. “Right then, to business.” She pointed at Maxwell. “I want you dead. But that hasn’t been nearly as fun as seeing you suffer. Imagine my delight when your fall from the throne lead you to the same place as those you used to torment! Such perfect irony, I couldn’t have done better myself.” She turned her gaze to Wilson. “And you, I really should thank you. Before I met you, I was unstable. You saw them both, didn’t you? The creature of the night and the innocent little girl, trapped together and fighting all the time. It was exhausting. But getting rid of the throne was the decision that finally made me find the balance I needed.” She placed a hand on her chest. “Everything’s quieted down in here. Even They can’t say anything to me unless I wish it.”

“That’s impossible.” Maxwell spoke up, almost instantly regretting it but unable to stop. “They have control over everything, you aren’t the exception.” Retribution was swift as shadowy hands dragged him to his knees, Charlie holding her hand out from the throne.

“You know, I’ve gotten real tired of seeing your face around here.” She made a face of disgust toward a crumbling pile of marble. “You couldn’t even help showing it off all of the place, huh? Your arrogance was what landed us both here, and you’re going to pay for it.” The ground beneath him darkened, and the shadows swallowed him. Wilson made a futile attempt to grab him, but the shadows worked fast.

“Cut the monologuing, will you?” Willow brandished her lighter. “We’ve taken down everyone else on that glorified chair and we’ll take you down too!” Charlie frowned.

“I see you don’t have a full grasp on the situation. Let me spell it out for you: I. Control. Everything.” A shadowy hand knocked the lighter out of Willow’s hand, and it disappeared. Willow fumed, and tried to take a step forward, fist raised, but the shadows swallowed her up too. Winona took a shuddering breath, still frozen in place, and stared at the floor that had swallowed her up.

“Dear Winona, I almost forgot about you! It’s nice to see you again.”

“What are you doing?” Winona spoke in a small voice. “Why…”

“You were an interesting new development. I did want to see you again of course, but how much more delightful to see you interact with William? He was so scared of you!” She laughed shrilly. “You were the best punishment I could think of, forcing him to live with the consequences of dragging me into all this. It was so easy too, all I had to do was show you her face and you rushed in without thinking.”

“Don’t. Don’t say ‘her’ like that…like she’s gone…” Her voice trembled.

“Ah, but she is gone. I still go by Charlie, but the scared, helpless kid I once was is dead. It’s so much more freeing to take the power that I was so afraid of. You should try it sometime.” She laughed again. “But of course I can’t let you. I’ve had my fun here, but I have bigger plans, and I can’t have you getting in my way.” The floor opened up once more to swallow Winona and Wilson. “Have fun you two!” She waved tauntingly as the world went dark.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The moon hadn’t changed at all by the time Wisp got back. He had experienced so much that its familiarity was foreign. The feeling was alleviated somewhat by the familiar rumble beneath his feet.

“It’s good to see you again, too.” A mixture of relief and sorrow overwhelmed him and he began to cry. “I-I’m sorry. I failed, she got in my head,” he sobbed. “I didn’t want to fight! I just wanted to stay with them!” He broke down and fell to his knees, pressing his hands into the moon’s surface. “I should never have left, none of this would have happened if…” He clenched his fists, scraping moon dust over them as he curled up into himself. A low, comforting hum surrounded him. After a moment of sobbing into the dirt, he let the soothing vibrations relax him. He sniffled and rolled over, laying on his back and staring at the faint green patch in the sky. A few wisps floated around him passively, and he gazed absentmindedly at them.

“This is where I belong.” The moon responded with the feeling of metaphorical open arms, but in it was a question. It took Wisp a moment to understand it. “I should stay here. Going back would only put everyone in danger. Charlie is our enemy, and she knows she can get to me.” He sat up, ruffling his feathers to get the dust off them. “I do wish things could have been different. Maybe the others will succeed. I could visit then.” A chameleon wandered over from the nearby hot spring and he petted it slowly. “This is my real home.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wickerbottom gazed at the patch of sky that Wisp had disappeared into. She squinted to try and see any lingering trace of him, but he seemed to have gone over the horizon, likely to the other side where the moon was.

“Do you think he’ll come back?” She looked down at the arboreal humanoid. Wormwood coiled his arm around hers gently; the creature always craved physical touch.

“I don’t know. I would wager a guess that he would, but I am not a gambling woman.” She looked back over to the portal. “We need to be ready for whatever happens if…when the others return.”

“And what if they don’t?” Woodie leaned against his axe, also watching the sky. “Can we survive with four less people?”

“The quantity will make little difference since the resources will balance out. We would, however, be losing four valuable teammates. I would prefer it if we accounted for the likelihood that they will return.” Wickerbottom often hid her worry well, but the sudden loss of so many had set her off balance.

“They have to!” Webber insisted. “No way would they let each other get hurt!” His innocent determination seemed to help the mood.

“There is no point in worrying about what we cannot control.” Wendy walked over to a nearby chest. “We should continue as usual. Summer is nearly over, but we have several days of heat left to survive.”

“Aye, the young lass is right.” Wigfrid gathered up her spear and pack. “Who wants to go hunting?” Activity slowly crept back into the camp as the occupants went about the necessary tasks. Wickerbottom continued working on binding the pages of her latest book, but her gaze kept turning back to the sky. “It only there was some way to contact him…” she murmured to herself.

That night, inspiration came in the form of Wormwood. He was playing with a piece of glass he had found, using it to reflect light onto different surfaces and giggling. Wickerbottom sat next to him and inspected the glass. It was jagged and curved, likely a broken piece of the makeshift lamps Willow had managed to construct of superheated sand.

“Do you have any bigger pieces of that glass?” She asked him.

“Yeah, my lantern broke and I kept the pieces. The rest is mostly still together.”

“May I have it?”

“I guess. I didn’t want to throw it away, but if you need to use it that’s okay.” He went back to playing with the light.

Wickerbottom wished she had a more precise way of communication, but any contact with someone on the moon would be difficult. It took her some time to figure out the trajectory she needed to reflect the firelight off the glass, but eventually she could see a faint beam of light pointing in the direction she wanted. She moved it back and forth a few times, hoping a series of flashes would be more likely to get his attention.

“Come on boy, don’t give up just yet.”


	8. The Gang Gets Screwed Over

Wilson was alone. That part scared him more than the dark; it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been alone before, but he had gotten used to having people around to care for. He had seen three of his friends disappear into shadows, and was realizing that they had all been separated. Once the habitual fear of an invisible attacker had waned once he realized that the dark didn’t hold that threat, he tried to feel around for some sort of indication of where he was. His hand landed on something that felt rough; further inspection revealed it to be the bark of a tree.

“Am I back in the Constant?” he wondered aloud. As he spoke he brushed against something strapped to his shoulder. He quickly pulled off the backpack, digging around inside for something useful. All it contained was a torch and some flint. After a few moments of struggling, a spark managed to light the torch on fire. He held it up to look at his surroundings and saw only more trees.

“Ugh, is this the last trial again?” He recalled the grueling series of tests Maxwell had put him through to keep him away from the throne, the final of which took place in complete darkness. “Not very creative.” Sighing, he started walking. Several hours passed without any sign of an exit. The land was nearly bare, with only enough materials to left him craft more torches. Strangely, he didn’t seem to be getting hungry as quickly as he normally did. “Is this a test? What am I supposed to do?” he called out to the sky. No response. He continued his trek, finding no change in scenery. Eventually, however, he began to see shadows moving in the corners of his vision. He had seen this coming, but even with his intellect he had never been able to find a way to stop it, not without the few comforts they had back at camp.

Whatever Charlie had intended, it became clear that she wanted him to suffer. Hours passed with the same monotony, and his hallucinations got worse. Not only were the typical shadow creatures becoming more solid, but he heard voices and saw flashes of things he couldn’t understand. The whispering was in a language he didn’t know, but he could somehow understand the intention behind the words. It wasn’t friendly. Wilson blinked furiously when he thought he saw the face of his father in the dark woods. An investigation revealed nothing, but he started to see more faces of his friends and family.

A scream rang out from the woods. It was clearly a young girl, and Wilson’s first thought was Wendy. He bolted toward the sound and found nothing. Panicking, he rushed after a second scream farther away. The thought briefly entered his head that this was another hallucination, but he couldn’t ignore the screams of agony from the girl. A second voice joined in, this time a haunting man’s voice.

“Maxwell?” Wilson called out. Wendy screamed again. “Wendy! Where are you?” One by one, more voices joined in the chorus of screams. Wilson ran himself ragged trying to find something, anything that could explain the source of the screams. The noise felt like it would split his head in two, and he clutched at his ears as he ran through the woods. He collapsed to the ground, his arms over his head trying to protect himself from the noise. His own screams of agony joined in the cacophony.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow woke up in a long dark hallway. She tensed as she recognized it as the orphanage she grew up in. She stood up quickly, patting her pockets to see if she still had her lighter.

“Nothing…” she grumbled. “Well, that’s fine. Most things here are flammable, after all.” She began walking down the hallway, looking for any familiar landmark that would help her find her way out. It wasn’t long before the familiar shadows started flickering in the corner of her eyes. She whirled around to catch one sneaking up on her.

“Come on! I aint afraid of you!” She braced herself, ready to fight instead of run. The shadow rushed her, snapping at her with its large beak. It missed the first time, but the second time it sunk right into her chest. It didn’t feel like it had torn flesh like they usually did, which was good because a blow like that would have killed her. She did feel the familiar icy burn when it attacked, but when her body was engulfed in shadow, a wave of…something came over her. It wasn’t pain, exactly, but it felt toxic, and she nearly vomited at the sensation.

“Wha…” She stumbled and fell backward, scrambling away on her hands and knees. She gagged and tears streamed down her face. This was so much worse than pain. Her body felt frozen with cold and she started shivering uncontrollably. The beast reared back in a silent roar and dove for her again. She desperately scrambled out of its way, clawing her way to her feet and taking off in a sprint. Willow could not think, could not remember how to save herself. She could only run in mindless terror.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maxwell expected guilt. He expected to be forced to relive his mistakes over and over, expected to have to face Charlie knowing he had done nothing to save her. Instead, he woke up on a cold stone floor. A slight red glow illuminated a small area around him, and he saw columns of yellow stone.

“Thulecite…so she’s showing me the Ruins.” He stood up and waited for some torture to find him. One of the monkeys that inhabited the place moved toward him. It had gone dark with the nightmare cycle; sharp white teeth glinted out of the blackness. He didn’t move as it attacked him, and winced as pain flooded his senses. Blood dripped from his right arm, and his eyes widened. This was real. Or at least it seemed real. He turned and ran as more monkeys pursued him. Otherworldly sounds pressed in on him from all sides. The Constant was his domain, and he was more at ease than the others in the world he had created, but the underground world had always been outside his jurisdiction. The ruins of some ancient civilization that had given rise to Them remained untouched, and he generally had no interest in it besides mild curiosity. Now, however, as he ran through it trying to survive, he felt the weight of some nameless force. He saw shadow beings everywhere, distorting and twisting before his eyes.

He managed to find some corner where he could hide, and the monkeys sprinted past him. He took a moment to catch his breath, looking around to see where he was. There was a network of roads leading in all directions, but the most prominent feature was the many cracks in the ground, spewing out red light. He moved closer to one, trying to look down and see what was inside. A shadow creature sprang from the light, solid and dangerous. He almost tripped moving backwards, but it did not attack him. What passed for eyes in the dark flesh bore into him, and he remembered the uneasy feeling of being watched by many unseen eyes while on the throne. Something invisible blew from the crack in the earth and bore into his brain, and he collapsed with a scream. He could feel Them distinctly now, pressing in on him. His skull was about to split from the pressure of so many inside of him, he tried to hold it together with his hands as he screamed continuously. Something huge moved beneath him; he could sense something deep below the earth, old and slow and far bigger than anything he could imagine. Its whisper sent him reeling again; he could not understand anything but pain from the horrible sound. He writhed on the ground, watched by unmoving shadows, as he was subjected to the horror beneath the earth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Winona was almost relieved to be separated from the others as her eyes started to tear up.

“Charlie? Please, come back, we can talk this out…” She choked back a sob and sat against a cold wall. It was nearly too dark to see, but she seemed to be in a featureless stone room. “Why am I here? Please, I just want to talk,” she pleaded. A flicker caught her attention in the corner of the room, and she kneeled down by it. A small pool of water was reflecting the little light there was. Winona sighed and sat back, hoping for something useful, or at least comforting. She looked down at her own reflection. Her face was reflected back for only a moment when the image shifted. Now she could see the throne room again, only from above. Charlie was back on her throne, sitting motionless. Winona called out her sister’s name, but she got no response. She watched as Charlie got up and paced around the dais at the top of the stairs, seemingly waiting for something. Winona could only watch, a little calmer now that she could see her, but still worried about her sister. She sat cross legged on the floor. She had waited this long to see her, she could wait a little longer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wisp had gone back to his duties of looking after the moon’s surface. It felt strange to fall back into such a simple routine after so many weeks of helping around the camp, but it was comforting in a familiar way. He took a break to rest by one of the steamy pools, lazily kicking his feet in the water as the chameleons played around him. He had noticed that he had begun focusing more on simple pleasures, especially since the radio was fixed and the camp always had some faint sound playing through it. Normally the silence up here would comfort him, but now it just felt empty. Well, at least he could enjoy a nice soak; he had honestly missed having easy access to hot water. He would get used to living here again. He tried not to think about what his friends must be dealing with now.

It wasn’t even a whole day when something from the surface below caught his eye. A bright flash of light came from the direction of the camp, and he curiously stood on a high rock to see better. The source didn’t seem to be fire, so at least there wasn’t that danger. He squinted, his eyes hurting a bit when he looked at the light. Upon examining the rest of the camp, he noticed movement in the open area by the food station. He could just make out Wendy and Webber jumping up and down, waving their arms. Abigail hovered in circles around them. It seemed a strange new game to invent. He tried to go back to his usual route, but the light kept catching his eye. Wendy and Webber hadn’t stopped, and continuously faced skyward.

“Oh…” he breathed as he realized they were trying to get his attention. Guilt flooded his mind, and he frantically reached out to the moon for advice.

“They want me to come back, I think.” The moon was remaining annoyingly neutral. “Well, you want me to stay, right? So I shouldn’t go. Home is more important.” Still no real response. “Why aren’t you agreeing? It’s what you want, right?” He sighed. “Even if it wasn’t, I’m not sure what I want. I want to see them again, but I don’t want to get attached knowing they’ll leave.” He dramatically flopped down on the ground. “But I am attached! Stupid humans…” The moon asked a question. “Of course I don’t want to leave them to deal with the shadows. But…what good am I? I want them to stay, same as the queen, even if it is for different reasons. I-I’m afraid to see her again.” The ground murmured encouragement. “I should try to be brave, shouldn’t I? I don’t want to though! I just want to stay here and be happy, and see them every day, and go on walks, and play with the children, and…” He sat up. “I can’t do that if Charlie gets them.” He groaned. “Fiiiine, I’ll go. If I die know that it’s because you had to go and talk me into being noble.” He felt a rumble of amusement as he leapt off the moon’s surface, falling into the sky below.

“Finally! What took you so long?” Webber ran and greeted him when he touched down near the camp. “My arms were getting tired!”

“I…I didn’t know if I should come back.” Wisp looked at the ground in shame.

“We want you here!” Webber took his hand into his small, fuzzy one. “Come on, Ms. Wickerbottom wants to talk to you.” He led him over to where Wendy was sitting, and she joined them as the walked over to where the librarian was sitting by the fire. She had a stern look on her face that made Wisp immediately regret coming down again, but he stood in front of her waiting to be scolded anyway.

“I’m glad you came back.” He looked up in surprise. She was smiled gently at him. “The others could really use your help.”

“They aren’t back yet?” Worry settled firmly in the pit of his stomach.

“No, the portal hasn’t so much as moved since they left. It’s deactivated now, but I think I could get it running again.”

“What if I can’t do it?” He get straight to it, looking into her eyes like a lost child.

“I have faith that you will.” She stood up slowly, brushing off her skirt. “We can’t just wait around while there’s work to be done.”

“Right.” He sniffled. “Thank you, for not being mad at me for running off.”

“Oh, I was mad.” Wickerbottom looked back at him. “But what’s important is that you’re here now.”

The portal sat dormant and imposing as Wisp stepped up to it alone. Wickerbottom threw the switch, and after a lot of sputtering and creaking, it came to life again.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Wendy asked. Abigail hummed aggressively behind her.

“Thank you, but no.” He chuckled. “I don’t want anymore people getting lost in there.”

“Then we hold you responsible for bringing them back.” She folded her arms. “Be careful.”

“I will.” He held both Wendy’s and Webber’s hands briefly in his before letting go and stepping into the portal. The last thing he saw was Wickerbottom’s smile as the world around him faded.

Wisp had to take flight immediately as he reached the other end, as a giant red machine shaped like a rhino charged him. The rook shape on the end of his nose caught his foot, but he managed to avoid getting trampled.

“Oh boy, she’s mad.” He dove toward the floor again as thorny vines sprouted from the ceiling, reaching for his wings. He dodged machine after machine, their clockwork innards clicking violently as they all desperately tried to land a blow. He zoomed down the dark corridor, and saw the room widen at the end. He triumphantly sprinted towards it, but one of the clockworks finally got lucky and struck his right wing. He cried out as he felt bone snap, falling to the floor in shock as the horse’s head reared back for another blow. What was left of his faculties took over and he rolled to the side, screaming as his body weight landed on his broken wing. The horse pursued him all the way to the large room, stopping as he backed painfully into a column. He turned around and saw the throne, elegant and dark, the queen sitting on it just as much so.

“I’m surprised to see you back. I thought you had left.” She rested her head against her hand, a bored expression on her face.

“I-I’m here for my friends.” He gasped, holding his injured limb with his arms. “What have you done with them?”

“Sent them away. They’re all being tormented by something or another.” She glared into space for a moment, giving Wisp a chance to compose himself a bit. “Why didn’t….why didn’t it feel better?”

“What?” He stared up at the still seated woman, confused at the lack of aggression.

“They…I thought…seeing them hurt would help….” A window appeared in space in front of her, switching between the four. He could see Willow looking more terrified than he had ever seen her look, Wilson curled up on the ground and screaming, Maxwell with a similar tortured look, and Winona just sitting there, defeated. He felt as though a knife was twisting in his ribs.

“What are you doing to them?! Let them go!” His voice cracked, sounding a lot less intimidating than he had hoped. Either way, that ship had sailed, he could barely keep standing as every small movement sent fire through his wing.

“You don’t look like you can make me.” She waved the window away. “What is your deal? You run off, tail between your legs, and now you suddenly think you can threaten me?”

“You’re hurting my friends. I can’t…” He winced. “I may not be able to stop you, but I can try. I’ll fight you if I have to.”

“There’s no need for that.” She stood up from the throne and waved her hand, and suddenly they were both standing in a ruined town. Wisp trembled in fear as he took in the dark, empty sky, the ominous red lights on the ground, and the whispering pressing on his eardrums. Even Charlie seemed affected, shaking her head and scowling. “They’re pretty angry. They’ve grown bored with watching me torment you all.” Wisp heard a whimper coming from behind one of the crumbling structures. He limped as quickly as he could over and saw Maxwell. He was clutching his head and shaking uncontrollably, his eyes closed and mouth open in a silent scream.

“Maxwell!” Wisp reached out a hand to help, but was stopped by a hissing shadow snapping at him.

“You won’t be able to do anything for him. I’ve let Them have their way with him. I’d hoped it would entertain Them for a while, and I thought I’d have a bit of fun with it too.” Charlie smiled half-heartedly. “Seeing him suffer for this long felt like I was finally taking control. But now…” She looked over at the suffering man, a look of disgust on her face. “Even seeing him suffer worse than me has lost its appeal. He just seems pathetic now.”

“Even if he hurt you, he doesn’t deserve this,” Wisp pleaded. “No one deserves this.”

“I don’t think I could stop them now if I tried.” She laughed bitterly. “You were right. I don’t have as much power over them as I thought. Even this,” she gestured to Maxwell, “was their plan all along. They feed on suffering and I’ve given them all the suffering they could ask for. The others are miserable, and They are content. They don’t need me anymore.”

“So why not let them go? Even if you can’t help Maxwell, you can let everyone else go. They haven’t done anything to you.”

“You think I’m just going to do what you say?” She snapped her fingers and they were back in the throne room. “They may rule here, but I am still queen. The rest of you don’t come close to the power I hold.”

“And what are you even doing with it?” Wisp stepped forward shakily. “Torturing innocent people? Is that really who you are?”

“Maybe it is. Maybe I’m just a monster now. A puppet for Them to use only to inflict harm.” She sat back down in defeat. “I suppose you’re happy to finally get your way.”

“I just want them back.” Tears streamed down his face. “I don’t think you’re really a bad person, I think They just made you hurt so you would feel you had to make others hurt.” She looked over him with pity.

“Ugh, I can’t stand to see you blubbering like that.” She waved her hand and shadows flowed over his wing, setting it back into place and healing it. He gasped as the pain suddenly stopped.

“Thank you,” he breathed, exhausted with relief. She rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers again. Three figures appeared on the floor in front of her. Wilson and Willow were still shaking, and Winona was looking around in surprise.

“Wha… we’re back? Is this another trick?”

“No more tricks, Winona.” Charlie made her way over to her sister, looking shy for the first time. “I’m done playing into Their hands. No more torturing…” Her composure broke and she threw her arms around Winona. “I missed you…”

“I missed you too.” Winona teared up again, much to her annoyance, and hid her face by holding Charlie’s head close to hers.

“I’m sorry…” Charlie gasped as she cried.

“It’s okay…” She stroked her little sister’s hair as she sobbed into her chest.

Wisp rushed over to the other two. Willow backed quickly away from him, still stuck in fight or flight mode.

“Don’t…don’t you dare…” she gasped. She didn’t even seem to see him as she stared blankly at something only she could see. Wisp’s heart broke seeing her so scared, but he couldn’t think of what to do so he knelt by Wilson’s curled up form. He placed a hand gently on his head and slowly the scientist moved his hands from his ears.

“Wisp…you’re okay!” He weakly held onto the angel, his voice hoarse.

“Of course I’m okay. We’re all okay.” He soothingly ran his hand up and down Wilson’s back, deciding to not mention Maxwell for now. He winced at the memory of the utterly broken man, but Wilson needed comfort right now.

Winona moved back and rested her hands on Charlie’s shoulders.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you again.”

“I might have some idea.” Charlie gave a watery laugh and wiped the tears from her face. She seemed smaller somehow, and Wisp noticed that her gown had changed from a long flowing black to a shorter, cream colored dress. Winona smoothed her sister’s hair back and smiled. “You should probably help your friend out…” Charlie looked over her shoulder at a terrified Willow and cringed. “Sorry.”

“I’ll try.” Winona stepped calmly over to the shaking girl. Willow’s eyes snapped toward her and she huddled in on herself even smaller.

“Hey…It’s me.” Winona crouched down as close as Willow would let her. “Willow, you’re safe. I won’t let anything hurt you.” The firestarter didn’t say anything but clutched her lighter tightly. “Wait, I think I might have…” Winona rifled through her backpack and pulled out some sticks she had collected earlier. “Here, would burning these make you feel better?” Willow stared at the offering.

“You won’t get mad?” she said in a small voice. Winona fought to keep her voice calm.

“No, of course not. You’re my friend. I want you to be happy.” She smiled and set the twigs down in front of her. Within seconds they were ablaze. Wilson slowly crawled over and sat near Willow. She jumped, but he held out a hand toward her.

“There’s no need to be afraid. We’re your family.” Willow finally relaxed, and took his hand into hers. She reached out toward Winona on the other side almost automatically, and the two held hands as well. Wisp sat down cross-legged by the warm blaze, sharing the moment of relief and comfort. Winona gestured over for Charlie to join them. She hesitated, but slowly moved forward until she stood with her hands folded in front of her. Wisp couldn’t help but think she looked like a scolded child. He patted the stone floor next to him, and she sat down. She exchanged awkward glances with everyone.

Willow yawned and leaned into Winona, clearly emotionally exhausted. Wisp was feeling it too, especially after his body had come down from such an adrenaline rush when he had been wounded. All he wanted to do was wrap himself in his wings and sleep right there on the cold stone. Just as he was starting to doze off, a sudden movement from his left startled him. Charlie bolted up off the floor.

“What are we doing? There’s no way They’ll let us get away with this!” She clutched at her head in panic, pacing frantically. “I-I have to do something! They won’t...” Suddenly she went silent as the ground swallowed her up in shadows. Winona shouted and rushed toward where she had disappeared. The others stood up as well, looking around as a low hum seemed to emanate from the very walls. Wisp had become used to deciphering intent from the ancient beings, but the voice was overwhelming. He hadn’t even noticed he had collapsed until Wilson was trying to help him up.

“They…They’re pissed. They took her somewhere, I don’t know where. They want something from us, I-I don’t know what. Maybe someone on the throne?” He squeezed his eyes shut to try and stop the headache.

“Why? Was torturing us not enough?” Willow asked.

“And why take Charlie? She was with us!” Winona added.

“Wisp, do you know where Maxwell is?” Wisp looked up as Wilson looked at him with a fearful expression.

“I-Charlie had him somewhere else…the caves I think…”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I don’t know! I got distracted!”

“Hey! Quit it!” Willow shouted above them.

“What the hell was she thinking?” Wilson ignored her.

“Don’t talk about my sister like that!” Just as it looked like Winona was going to deck Wilson, the room shuddered.

“Look, whatever’s going on, we need to find both of them. Let’s see if there’s a portal here that can take us back to camp so we can figure out what to do.” Wisp addressed the group and they nodded and took off running back through the hallway. “Gods, I hope we’re not as screwed as I think we are,” Wisp thought as he sprinted like his life depended on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while but I'm gonna try and finish this


	9. Wisp Gets Into an Argument

The welcome they received at camp was less than enthusiastic. Everyone was running around frantically, and the reason became apparent very quickly. A gigantic Dragonfly was sweeping left and right at structures and survivors alike. Nearly everything was on fire. Wisp saw WX run by with an armful of gears, which they were eating for some reason, and other supplies.

“What the hell?” Willow stood and pondered as the others shrieked and ran to help out. “That thing’s supposed to stay in the desert.”

“Less talking, more running!” Wolfgang shot by with a screaming Wigfrid on his tail, both trying to breach the creature’s tough scales. Wendy and Abigail were trying their best to keep a swarm of flaming larvae away from the camp, helped by a few spiders recruited by Webber. Wisp had no idea where to start helping amidst the utter chaos. A disgruntled Wickerbottom dragged him by the arm toward a group of chests.

“Gather as much as you can! You can fly it to a safe distance then come back for more!”

“Okay!” He dumped out the contents of his backpack and began filling it with the harder to come by items. Struggling to take flight with such a heavy burden, he stumbled through to the edge of camp and dumped the items on the grass a few yards away. As he headed back toward the chests, they all caught fire, and he had to swerve to avoid being singed. Winona rushed past him toward the dragon. Everything was a hazy blur; he couldn’t focus enough to get his bearings. A whoosh of shockingly cold air flew past him, and he saw the ghost of Woodie trying to put out some of the fires. A few moments later a scream alerted him to Winona’s death; another spectral figure rose from her body.

“We need to leave,” he spoke to a nearby Wilson trying to dump water on the fires.

“But we can still salvage…”

“No! We’re just going to keep dying, we need to get far enough away from that thing so that it leaves us alone!”

“Right.” Wilson whistled sharply and started leading a group out of the burning camp. Wisp took flight to help find a safe path. Down below, Willow rushed into the fire to save a badly wounded Webber, followed by a pair of identical ghosts. Everyone headed toward the deep woods, hoping the beast couldn’t follow. Wisp had to swoop down and grab Wigfrid by the arms to stop her from taking one last swing at the dragonfly. After what seemed like miles, the group could no longer hear the crackling of flames and smashing objects. Many collapsed heaving, while a flock of ghosts swirled around them nervously. Wisp landed ungracefully through a pine tree, getting needles stuck in his hair and feathers.

“That was…not ideal,” Wickerbottom panted.

“Yeah, no shit,” Willow replied.

“Language, dear,” Wickerbottom scolded, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“What did we manage to save?” Wilson asked, placing the contents of his bag in the middle of the group. They collectively had saved a few bundles of sticks and grass, some wood, a few resources from the monsters they had killed, and one or two gems of varying colors.

“Not terrible, but we’re going to need a lot more if all of us are going to survive.” Wickerbottom rubbed her temples. “I hate to say this, but we probably won’t be able to revive anyone for a while. Most are too wounded to give the life energy needed for the hearts, and more mouths to feed will be impossible until we can get a steady supply.” A few disappointed hums echoed throughout the clearing.

“Let’s focus on getting some food for now. There are a few berry bushes nearby, but meat will go longer if we can get it,” Wilson spoke up. “And no, Wigfrid, you’re not going hunting until you’re in better shape.” She frowned, then coughed up a bit of blood into her hands.

“I am less injured than you meat sacks,” WX clanged. “I will go get meat.”

“Thank you.” Wilson sighed in relief. “Everyone who can walk, work on making shelters. Wisp, can you come with me to try and help patch up the worst of the injuries?” Wisp nodded grimly.

Wigfrid was by far the worst; she had clearly cracked some ribs and was having trouble breathing. That and a broken leg had taken her completely out of commission. Despite her determination not to show pain, Wisp’s heart still broke every time she let out a cry. He set as much of the bones as he could with limited knowledge, then moved on to the others. Most were badly burned; they used up their short supply of healing salve almost instantly. Webber was unconscious and wouldn’t wake up for some reason, so they had to do without the risk of gathering spider glands. WX was able to bag a koalaphant for dinner, and the survivors ate a solemn meal under the moonlit sky.

“Now’s probably not the best time to go looking for Maxwell and Charlie,” Wisp said dejectedly to Wilson.

“Ugh, you’re right.” He threw a bone from his meal into the fire. “But I hate leaving them alone out there, who knows what could be happening to them.” Wisp fell silent, watching Willow huddle close to the fire, talking to a spectral Winona.

“I-I did see what was happening to Maxwell.”

“You did?” Wilson perked up.

“It probably won’t put your mind at ease.” Wisp gave him a look of concern.

“I’d feel worse not knowing.”

“Alright. He was underground, there was some kind of red light around him…I’m not sure where that is but I think I could remember enough of the details to recognize it if we went looking.”

“Was he…okay?”

“Not really.” Wisp grimaced. “He looked pretty upset. The shadows were getting to him. I don’t know if it was insanity, or something else, but I can only hope he’s managed to break away. Even if he’s lost it’d be better to find him in a stable condition.” Wilson was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“Well, it’s a start at least.” He finally spoke up. “Since we know he’s in the caves, we can start exploring them soon.”

“It’ll be difficult. We need all hands on deck to rebuild, especially uninjured ones. I don’t think we should leave for a while.”

“Really? You’re okay with leaving them to suffer?” Wilson spoke bitterly.

“No, I’m not, I just…”

“Do you even care about them?” Wilson’s raised voice was starting to attract some stares.

“Of course I do! But we need to think about everyone else!”

“They’re completely helpless, Wisp! They could be dead for all we know! Everyone else can take care of themselves, but not them! Not right now!”

“Wilson, calm down. Rushing in without a plan is just stupid, you’re smarter than that.”

“What, so I just run away like you did?” Everyone fell silent. The oppressive darkness of the woods seemed more tangible than ever.

“I came back, didn’t I?” Wisp tried to sound confident but he was tearing up.

“You came back too late. If you had gone with us in the first place, none of this would have happened.”

“You don’t know that.” Willow spoke up from the other side of the fire. “For all we know, he could have been taken too, then everyone else would come in and be captured one by one.”

“But…things could have been different…” Wilson brought his knees to his chest as though trying to hide. “Why did we have to build that stupid portal?”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Wickerbottom stood up. “You both need time to cool off. Go find somewhere safe.” She tossed two torches in their direction. Wilson took his and stomped off into the forest, and Wisp rushed away before anyone could see him cry.

Wendy and Abigail found him on a rock in a small clearing, close to panic. It was strange seeing Wendy as a ghost; now she and her sister really looked like twins. The soft undefined shapes floated in front of him, letting out soothing, harmonic hums.

“I’m sorry Wendy. I should have been there to protect you.” Wisp sniffled. The ghost of Wendy shook her head and moved closer to her sister. Wisp could almost see the shape of their hands entwined. “I suppose I’ve got to figure out what to do next.” He sighed. “I don’t know why everyone expects me to come up with ideas. I’m just some kid who ran away from home and stumbled upon you all by accident.” Wendy hummed again and he heard some semblance of words this time. The only clear one was “prince”. He frowned. “That was just some silly game. Calling myself a prince doesn’t make me any more responsible.” He started crying again. “I just want everything to be okay. I want someone to fix this and not have to worry about anyone.”

After letting him cry for a few more moments, the twins gestured for him to follow them back to camp. Reluctantly, he walked through the dark woods in the glow of their spirits, until he could see the campfire again. Everyone was busy weaving rope, building essential structures and the like. Wilson was sitting by Willow, who had clearly been comforting him for the past few minutes.

“I’m sorry.” Wisp stood in front of him with his hands clasped in front of him. “I should’ve tried harder to protect all of you.”

“You did everything you could.” Wilson stood up and wrapped his arms around Wisp, much to his surprise. “I know we’ll be able to save him. We’ve done harder things before.

“You’ve got that right.” Wisp laughed.

The quiet calm of the morning hours was interrupted quickly as the survivors woke up and began the long task of rebuilding a camp. By evening, most basic structures were back, along with the beginning of a much stronger stone wall perimeter. The warm coziness of a shared meal at the end of the day felt like things were coming back together.

“I think we should head down to the caves tomorrow.” Wilson stood up as soon at his meal was finished and joined Winona and Willow sitting near the large fire.

“Yeah, I think so. The longer we wait the harder it’s going to be to track that idiot down.” Winona absentmindedly tossed a twig into the fire. She waved Wisp over from his conversation with the librarian. “We’re heading out tomorrow, you think we should bring anyone else?”

“I don’t know. I hate to put anyone else in danger, but with no one in control that might already be inevitable.”

“Shit, yeah.” Willow tore her eyes away from the fire. “How are we gonna fix that? We don’t even know where Charlie is.”

“That’s a good question.” Wilson pondered for a moment. “Maybe if someone took over the throne again?”

“I think the throne’s gone,” Wisp said. “Charlie created what looked like the throne, but it was just a regular one.”

“How can it be gone? Someone has to be on it, those have always been the rules,” Wilson replied.

“Rules can change. Whatever force is in charge now seems to be powerful enough to change them.”

“Either way, we need to find Maxwell. He might know more about this than we do.”

“You have a point.”

“I think we should go tonight,” Winona spoke up.

“What? Why?” Willow responded as the others simply looked surprised.

“He’s already been stuck down there a while. We can’t risk losing our only chance at saving Charlie.”

“She’s right,” Wisp added. “We don’t know if he’s even lasted this long, every moment we wait is a moment They are doing who knows what with him.”

“Then let’s go!” Wilson stood up and started throwing things in his bag. The rest of the group responded with similar urgency.

“What’s going on?” A newly revived Wendy approached them.

“We’re going down to the caves, Maxwell’s stuck down there so we’re going to get him out,” Wisp responded, taking a moment from his preparation to crouch down by the young girl.

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know, Wendy. Hopefully soon.” He was internally a lot less optimistic, but would never in a million years let Wendy know that.

“Me and Abigail want to come too.”

“Wendy, I know you want to help but it’s dangerous-“

“I never told you that we’re relatives.” She cut him off, making eye contact with a strange intensity.

“Who do you mean, and what’s a relative?”

“We are of the same blood. Maxwell and my father with brothers.” She shifted her feet nervously. “I didn’t know for a long time. I thought he looked familiar, but it wasn’t until I heard his former name that I remembered our uncle William.”

“His real name is William?”

“Yes. I can’t leave him in danger knowing that we are kin.”

Wisp worriedly looked between her and the others. Wilson overheard and came over.

“Wendy, what are you doing? You can’t come to the caves, it’s too dangerous.”

“You’re all going. I have just as much a right to as any of you.”

“I know, but we don’t know what’s down there, something could-“ 

“This is my family!” She raised her voice maybe for the first time since any of them had known her. “I’m not letting anyone else die!” She teared up and clutched Abigail’s flower close for comfort, her sister hovering helplessly around her. Wisp sympathetically put his arms around the crying girl and held her close.

“We can’t force her to stay here, that isn’t fair to her,” Wisp said.

“I know, I know. God, I don’t know how I could forgive myself if…if something…” Wilson clutched his head in distress.

“We’ll all be there to protect her.” Willow put a hand on Wilson’s shoulder.

“Yeah, plus nothing can happen to the kid while that ghosts’ around.” Winona smiled.

Wisp stood up, helping Wendy to her feet. “Do you want help packing supplies?” He asked the child.

“No. I’ve already done it.” She hoisted her backpack up higher on her shoulders. Wisp smiled fondly at her.

“Shall we head out then?”

“I want to say goodbye to Webber first. Just in case.” The girl walked off toward his tent, where the spider boy was likely still recovering. Wisp followed her lead and went to give Ms. Wickerbottom a hug.

“Be smart down there. Don’t do anything too reckless.” The woman embraced the winged boy.

“I will try, but no promises.” He chuckled. “But seriously, I will do everything I can to make sure everyone gets out okay.”

Winona and Willow stood by awkwardly as the others said their final goodbyes.

“I kinda don’t want to go say bye to anyone,” Willow said. “Feels like bad luck.”

“Agreed.” Winona folded her arms and leaned against the outerwall. They both stood in silence for a moment.

“I do want to say something. Before…before everything gets crazy.” Willow nervously avoided eye contact, holding herself defensively.

“What’s that?” Winona gazed down at the slightly shorter woman.

“I…well…there’s not really a good way to put this.” She was blushing furiously. “Gah, why do feelings have to be so hard?”

“Hey…it’s alright, you can take your time.” Winona curiously watched Willow struggle.

“It’s just…. You saved me from that nightmare thing Charlie did. I wouldn’t have been able to break out of that mindset without you being there…and that’s because ever since we formed this camp you’ve been a constant. Sure, I’ve known Wilson and some others longer, but you always felt like a rock to me, a strong anchor that I didn’t worry so much about losing.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I…admire you, a lot, but I want you to know that it’s more than that. I don’t know how you feel about me, and I’ll accept whatever you want, but…I need to tell you that I would do anything to make you happy, because…” Willow squeezed her eyes shut.

“I get it.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to say anything else.” Winona placed one of her calloused hands on Willow’s cheek, softer and gentler that it had any right to be. She leaned in and tilted her jaw upward, then pressed her lips against Willow’s. She squeaked in surprise, then readily threw her arms around the taller woman’s neck. After a moment not nearly long enough for her, Winona pulled away.

“I admire you too Willow, a lot.”

“What? Come on…” Willow smiled sheepishly.

“No, I do! Really, I…. you’re so passionate about what you love, and seeing you like that is breathtaking. I think it’s no coincidence that you’re drawn to fire, you both burn brighter than anything else around you.” Willow was speechless, she felt as if she could almost faint. “I didn’t imagine in a million years you felt the same way about me, and I loved every moment we got to spend together.”

“You felt the same the whole time?” Willow said indignantly. “I was worrying about whether to tell you for weeks! I lost sleep over it!” Winona laughed and Willow couldn’t help but kiss her again.

“Whatever happens down there, I’m glad you know that I’m in love with you.” Winona smiled.

“Jeez, how am I supposed to respond to that? Just a minute ago I was ready to go off and cry my eyes out, and now you actually like me?” Willow hid her face in her hands.

“Ha, sorry if it’s too fast. But it’s true.” Winona gently pulled Willow’s hands away and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re the most beautiful, inspiring person I know.”

“Pfft whatever, you’re way cooler than me.”

“What? No I’m not!” Winona laughed. “One time I stole some of our sewing supplies just so I could make an extra pillow cause I missed sleeping with a stuffed animal.”

“I got you beat there, I have an actual stuffed animal I carry around. And, I once got stuck in a tree and had to call Wolfgang to get me down.”

“How about we call it even and say we’re both tragically embarrassing?”

“Sounds fair.” Willow laced her fingers through Winona’s and leaned against her shoulder.

Wilson, Wisp, and Wendy walked over to join them.

“Is everyone ready?” Wisp asked.

“As we’ll ever be,” Willow replied.

“I know where the nearest cave is, it should only be a few minutes’ walk,” Wilson said.

“Then let’s go.” Wendy grabbed Wilson’s hand and they both led the way out of camp.

The entrance to the underground cave seemed to suck in the sparse light around it as the survivors gazed down into it.

“Straight to the belly of the beast.” Wendy reached down into the hole and touched stone. “There’s a pathway we can use to get down.” They all descended the stone stairway into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not sure how long the climax will be, but that ought to happen in the next chapter. almost done!


	10. Wisp Goes Exploring

The welcome they received at camp was less than enthusiastic. Everyone was running around frantically, and the reason became apparent very quickly. A gigantic Dragonfly was sweeping left and right at structures and survivors alike. Nearly everything was on fire. Wisp saw WX run by with an armful of gears, which they were eating for some reason, and other supplies.

“What the hell?” Willow stood and pondered as the others shrieked and ran to help out. “That thing’s supposed to stay in the desert.”

“Less talking, more running!” Wolfgang shot by with a screaming Wigfrid on his tail, both trying to breach the creature’s tough scales. Wendy and Abigail were trying their best to keep a swarm of flaming larvae away from the camp, helped by a few spiders recruited by Webber. Wisp had no idea where to start helping amidst the utter chaos. A disgruntled Wickerbottom dragged him by the arm toward a group of chests.

“Gather as much as you can! You can fly it to a safe distance then come back for more!”

“Okay!” He dumped out the contents of his backpack and began filling it with the harder to come by items. Struggling to take flight with such a heavy burden, he stumbled through to the edge of camp and dumped the items on the grass a few yards away. As he headed back toward the chests, they all caught fire, and he had to swerve to avoid being singed. Winona rushed past him toward the dragon. Everything was a hazy blur; he couldn’t focus enough to get his bearings. A whoosh of shockingly cold air flew past him, and he saw the ghost of Woodie trying to put out some of the fires. A few moments later a scream alerted him to Winona’s death; another spectral figure rose from her body.

“We need to leave,” he spoke to a nearby Wilson trying to dump water on the fires.

“But we can still salvage…”

“No! We’re just going to keep dying, we need to get far enough away from that thing so that it leaves us alone!”

“Right.” Wilson whistled sharply and started leading a group out of the burning camp. Wisp took flight to help find a safe path. Down below, Willow rushed into the fire to save a badly wounded Webber, followed by a pair of identical ghosts. Everyone headed toward the deep woods, hoping the beast couldn’t follow. Wisp had to swoop down and grab Wigfrid by the arms to stop her from taking one last swing at the dragonfly. After what seemed like miles, the group could no longer hear the crackling of flames and smashing objects. Many collapsed heaving, while a flock of ghosts swirled around them nervously. Wisp landed ungracefully through a pine tree, getting needles stuck in his hair and feathers.

“That was…not ideal,” Wickerbottom panted.

“Yeah, no shit,” Willow replied.

“Language, dear,” Wickerbottom scolded, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“What did we manage to save?” Wilson asked, placing the contents of his bag in the middle of the group. They collectively had saved a few bundles of sticks and grass, some wood, a few resources from the monsters they had killed, and one or two gems of varying colors.

“Not terrible, but we’re going to need a lot more if all of us are going to survive.” Wickerbottom rubbed her temples. “I hate to say this, but we probably won’t be able to revive anyone for a while. Most are too wounded to give the life energy needed for the hearts, and more mouths to feed will be impossible until we can get a steady supply.” A few disappointed hums echoed throughout the clearing.

“Let’s focus on getting some food for now. There are a few berry bushes nearby, but meat will go longer if we can get it,” Wilson spoke up. “And no, Wigfrid, you’re not going hunting until you’re in better shape.” She frowned, then coughed up a bit of blood into her hands.

“I am less injured than you meat sacks,” WX clanged. “I will go get meat.”

“Thank you.” Wilson sighed in relief. “Everyone who can walk, work on making shelters. Wisp, can you come with me to try and help patch up the worst of the injuries?” Wisp nodded grimly.

Wigfrid was by far the worst; she had clearly cracked some ribs and was having trouble breathing. That and a broken leg had taken her completely out of commission. Despite her determination not to show pain, Wisp’s heart still broke every time she let out a cry. He set as much of the bones as he could with limited knowledge, then moved on to the others. Most were badly burned; they used up their short supply of healing salve almost instantly. Webber was unconscious and wouldn’t wake up for some reason, so they had to do without the risk of gathering spider glands. WX was able to bag a koalaphant for dinner, and the survivors ate a solemn meal under the moonlit sky.

“Now’s probably not the best time to go looking for Maxwell and Charlie,” Wisp said dejectedly to Wilson.

“Ugh, you’re right.” He threw a bone from his meal into the fire. “But I hate leaving them alone out there, who knows what could be happening to them.” Wisp fell silent, watching Willow huddle close to the fire, talking to a spectral Winona.

“I-I did see what was happening to Maxwell.”

“You did?” Wilson perked up.

“It probably won’t put your mind at ease.” Wisp gave him a look of concern.

“I’d feel worse not knowing.”

“Alright. He was underground, there was some kind of red light around him…I’m not sure where that is but I think I could remember enough of the details to recognize it if we went looking.”

“Was he…okay?”

“Not really.” Wisp grimaced. “He looked pretty upset. The shadows were getting to him. I don’t know if it was insanity, or something else, but I can only hope he’s managed to break away. Even if he’s lost it’d be better to find him in a stable condition.” Wilson was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“Well, it’s a start at least.” He finally spoke up. “Since we know he’s in the caves, we can start exploring them soon.”

“It’ll be difficult. We need all hands on deck to rebuild, especially uninjured ones. I don’t think we should leave for a while.”

“Really? You’re okay with leaving them to suffer?” Wilson spoke bitterly.

“No, I’m not, I just…”

“Do you even care about them?” Wilson’s raised voice was starting to attract some stares.

“Of course I do! But we need to think about everyone else!”

“They’re completely helpless, Wisp! They could be dead for all we know! Everyone else can take care of themselves, but not them! Not right now!”

“Wilson, calm down. Rushing in without a plan is just stupid, you’re smarter than that.”

“What, so I just run away like you did?” Everyone fell silent. The oppressive darkness of the woods seemed more tangible than ever.

“I came back, didn’t I?” Wisp tried to sound confident but he was tearing up.

“You came back too late. If you had gone with us in the first place, none of this would have happened.”

“You don’t know that.” Willow spoke up from the other side of the fire. “For all we know, he could have been taken too, then everyone else would come in and be captured one by one.”

“But…things could have been different…” Wilson brought his knees to his chest as though trying to hide. “Why did we have to build that stupid portal?”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Wickerbottom stood up. “You both need time to cool off. Go find somewhere safe.” She tossed two torches in their direction. Wilson took his and stomped off into the forest, and Wisp rushed away before anyone could see him cry.

Wendy and Abigail found him on a rock in a small clearing, close to panic. It was strange seeing Wendy as a ghost; now she and her sister really looked like twins. The soft undefined shapes floated in front of him, letting out soothing, harmonic hums.

“I’m sorry Wendy. I should have been there to protect you.” Wisp sniffled. The ghost of Wendy shook her head and moved closer to her sister. Wisp could almost see the shape of their hands entwined. “I suppose I’ve got to figure out what to do next.” He sighed. “I don’t know why everyone expects me to come up with ideas. I’m just some kid who ran away from home and stumbled upon you all by accident.” Wendy hummed again and he heard some semblance of words this time. The only clear one was “prince”. He frowned. “That was just some silly game. Calling myself a prince doesn’t make me any more responsible.” He started crying again. “I just want everything to be okay. I want someone to fix this and not have to worry about anyone.”

After letting him cry for a few more moments, the twins gestured for him to follow them back to camp. Reluctantly, he walked through the dark woods in the glow of their spirits, until he could see the campfire again. Everyone was busy weaving rope, building essential structures and the like. Wilson was sitting by Willow, who had clearly been comforting him for the past few minutes.

“I’m sorry.” Wisp stood in front of him with his hands clasped in front of him. “I should’ve tried harder to protect all of you.”

“You did everything you could.” Wilson stood up and wrapped his arms around Wisp, much to his surprise. “I know we’ll be able to save him. We’ve done harder things before.

“You’ve got that right.” Wisp laughed.

The quiet calm of the morning hours was interrupted quickly as the survivors woke up and began the long task of rebuilding a camp. By evening, most basic structures were back, along with the beginning of a much stronger stone wall perimeter. The warm coziness of a shared meal at the end of the day felt like things were coming back together.

“I think we should head down to the caves tomorrow.” Wilson stood up as soon at his meal was finished and joined Winona and Willow sitting near the large fire.

“Yeah, I think so. The longer we wait the harder it’s going to be to track that idiot down.” Winona absentmindedly tossed a twig into the fire. She waved Wisp over from his conversation with the librarian. “We’re heading out tomorrow, you think we should bring anyone else?”

“I don’t know. I hate to put anyone else in danger, but with no one in control that might already be inevitable.”

“Shit, yeah.” Willow tore her eyes away from the fire. “How are we gonna fix that? We don’t even know where Charlie is.”

“That’s a good question.” Wilson pondered for a moment. “Maybe if someone took over the throne again?”

“I think the throne’s gone,” Wisp said. “Charlie created what looked like the throne, but it was just a regular one.”

“How can it be gone? Someone has to be on it, those have always been the rules,” Wilson replied.

“Rules can change. Whatever force is in charge now seems to be powerful enough to change them.”

“Either way, we need to find Maxwell. He might know more about this than we do.”

“You have a point.”

“I think we should go tonight,” Winona spoke up.

“What? Why?” Willow responded as the others simply looked surprised.

“He’s already been stuck down there a while. We can’t risk losing our only chance at saving Charlie.”

“She’s right,” Wisp added. “We don’t know if he’s even lasted this long, every moment we wait is a moment They are doing who knows what with him.”

“Then let’s go!” Wilson stood up and started throwing things in his bag. The rest of the group responded with similar urgency.

“What’s going on?” A newly revived Wendy approached them.

“We’re going down to the caves, Maxwell’s stuck down there so we’re going to get him out,” Wisp responded, taking a moment from his preparation to crouch down by the young girl.

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know, Wendy. Hopefully soon.” He was internally a lot less optimistic, but would never in a million years let Wendy know that.

“Me and Abigail want to come too.”

“Wendy, I know you want to help but it’s dangerous-“

“I never told you that we’re relatives.” She cut him off, making eye contact with a strange intensity.

“Who do you mean, and what’s a relative?”

“We are of the same blood. Maxwell and my father with brothers.” She shifted her feet nervously. “I didn’t know for a long time. I thought he looked familiar, but it wasn’t until I heard his former name that I remembered our uncle William.”

“His real name is William?”

“Yes. I can’t leave him in danger knowing that we are kin.”

Wisp worriedly looked between her and the others. Wilson overheard and came over.

“Wendy, what are you doing? You can’t come to the caves, it’s too dangerous.”

“You’re all going. I have just as much a right to as any of you.”

“I know, but we don’t know what’s down there, something could-“ 

“This is my family!” She raised her voice maybe for the first time since any of them had known her. “I’m not letting anyone else die!” She teared up and clutched Abigail’s flower close for comfort, her sister hovering helplessly around her. Wisp sympathetically put his arms around the crying girl and held her close.

“We can’t force her to stay here, that isn’t fair to her,” Wisp said.

“I know, I know. God, I don’t know how I could forgive myself if…if something…” Wilson clutched his head in distress.

“We’ll all be there to protect her.” Willow put a hand on Wilson’s shoulder.

“Yeah, plus nothing can happen to the kid while that ghosts’ around.” Winona smiled.

Wisp stood up, helping Wendy to her feet. “Do you want help packing supplies?” He asked the child.

“No. I’ve already done it.” She hoisted her backpack up higher on her shoulders. Wisp smiled fondly at her.

“Shall we head out then?”

“I want to say goodbye to Webber first. Just in case.” The girl walked off toward his tent, where the spider boy was likely still recovering. Wisp followed her lead and went to give Ms. Wickerbottom a hug.

“Be smart down there. Don’t do anything too reckless.” The woman embraced the winged boy.

“I will try, but no promises.” He chuckled. “But seriously, I will do everything I can to make sure everyone gets out okay.”

Winona and Willow stood by awkwardly as the others said their final goodbyes.

“I kinda don’t want to go say bye to anyone,” Willow said. “Feels like bad luck.”

“Agreed.” Winona folded her arms and leaned against the outerwall. They both stood in silence for a moment.

“I do want to say something. Before…before everything gets crazy.” Willow nervously avoided eye contact, holding herself defensively.

“What’s that?” Winona gazed down at the slightly shorter woman.

“I…well…there’s not really a good way to put this.” She was blushing furiously. “Gah, why do feelings have to be so hard?”

“Hey…it’s alright, you can take your time.” Winona curiously watched Willow struggle.

“It’s just…. You saved me from that nightmare thing Charlie did. I wouldn’t have been able to break out of that mindset without you being there…and that’s because ever since we formed this camp you’ve been a constant. Sure, I’ve known Wilson and some others longer, but you always felt like a rock to me, a strong anchor that I didn’t worry so much about losing.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I…admire you, a lot, but I want you to know that it’s more than that. I don’t know how you feel about me, and I’ll accept whatever you want, but…I need to tell you that I would do anything to make you happy, because…” Willow squeezed her eyes shut.

“I get it.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to say anything else.” Winona placed one of her calloused hands on Willow’s cheek, softer and gentler that it had any right to be. She leaned in and tilted her jaw upward, then pressed her lips against Willow’s. She squeaked in surprise, then readily threw her arms around the taller woman’s neck. After a moment not nearly long enough for her, Winona pulled away.

“I admire you too Willow, a lot.”

“What? Come on…” Willow smiled sheepishly.

“No, I do! Really, I…. you’re so passionate about what you love, and seeing you like that is breathtaking. I think it’s no coincidence that you’re drawn to fire, you both burn brighter than anything else around you.” Willow was speechless, she felt as if she could almost faint. “I didn’t imagine in a million years you felt the same way about me, and I loved every moment we got to spend together.”

“You felt the same the whole time?” Willow said indignantly. “I was worrying about whether to tell you for weeks! I lost sleep over it!” Winona laughed and Willow couldn’t help but kiss her again.

“Whatever happens down there, I’m glad you know that I’m in love with you.” Winona smiled.

“Jeez, how am I supposed to respond to that? Just a minute ago I was ready to go off and cry my eyes out, and now you actually like me?” Willow hid her face in her hands.

“Ha, sorry if it’s too fast. But it’s true.” Winona gently pulled Willow’s hands away and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re the most beautiful, inspiring person I know.”

“Pfft whatever, you’re way cooler than me.”

“What? No I’m not!” Winona laughed. “One time I stole some of our sewing supplies just so I could make an extra pillow cause I missed sleeping with a stuffed animal.”

“I got you beat there, I have an actual stuffed animal I carry around. And, I once got stuck in a tree and had to call Wolfgang to get me down.”

“How about we call it even and say we’re both tragically embarrassing?”

“Sounds fair.” Willow laced her fingers through Winona’s and leaned against her shoulder.

Wilson, Wisp, and Wendy walked over to join them.

“Is everyone ready?” Wisp asked.

“As we’ll ever be,” Willow replied.

“I know where the nearest cave is, it should only be a few minutes’ walk,” Wilson said.

“Then let’s go.” Wendy grabbed Wilson’s hand and they both led the way out of camp.

The entrance to the underground cave seemed to suck in the sparse light around it as the survivors gazed down into it.

“Straight to the belly of the beast.” Wendy reached down into the hole and touched stone. “There’s a pathway we can use to get down.” They all descended the stone stairway into darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The cave at the bottom of the sinkhole didn’t look much different from the world above. There were a few trees, saplings, and tufts of long grass dotted around the green landscape. Light filtered in from above, but it didn’t extend far enough for anyone to see outside of a small circle. Within seconds, Willow had a torch ready for herself and quickly got to work making some for everyone else.

“It’s going to take a while to search the whole caves if we all stay together.” Wisp’s voice echoed and seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness.

“Yeah, but splitting up is likely going to get us all killed,” Wilson replied.

“How about groups then?” Wisp suggested. “We can go together, Willow and Winona can go the opposite direction, and I guess we can bring Wendy along.”

“That sounds reasonable.” Wendy stepped forward and took Wisp’s hand. “We can go in this direction.” She pointed forward into the darkness that looked to same as any other place.”

“If you find something or need help, try signaling with a fire or something. I hope that light travels far in this place,” Wilson said to the two women. They both nodded, and Wilson hugged the both of them. “Be safe.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, Wisp and his companions hadn’t made much progress. They had to move slowly due to the scarce light; Wisp’s wings were all but snuffed out, with only a little of the moon’s magic able to reach him down here. Wendy stayed safe in the small bubble of light Abigail provided, but Wilson had to stay close on Wisp’s heels to avoid being trapped in the darkness.

“I wonder who it is out there, now that Charlie’s gone,” Wisp wondered.

“We called it the Grue before we knew about her,” Wilson responded. “A creature that lurks in the dark and hunts on those unfortunate enough to stray too far from the light. I read stories about them at home.” He laughed. “I refused to sleep without a lamp lit for years after my dad first told me about them.”

“I would too, that sounds scary.” Wisp shivered. He squinted and looked as far ahead as the dim light would allow. “It looks like there’s rock over there.”

“Well, it’s something different than grass. Let’s check it out.” Wilson lead the way, holding Wisp’s hand to keep the light close.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Winona linked her arm with Willow’s to stay close to the flame. The small amount of warmth that came from it was comforting, as was Willow’s confident stride. She tried to focus on looking around for something other than level cave dirt.

“Wait, I think I see something over there,” Winona tapped Willow’s arm. She led them to a piece of wall made of yellow stone. The ground was harder underfoot and seemed to be made of intentionally shaped tiles.

“Well, someone was definitely here.” Willow held her torch up to reveal many more walls, some tall and imposing, others crumbling. Winona picked up a stone that came from the wall.

“I don’t know what this is, but it might come in handy.” She filled a pocket with the stuff as they traveled. They came across wooden structures with monkeys frolicking around, deciding to go around as much as they could. They had to fight off some fuzzy black creatures as well, which dropped a strange fruit-looking plant that glowed. Winona had a flash of inspiration and weaved together some grass and rope to form a makeshift lantern to rest the ball in. “Now we don’t need to keep burning through torches.”

“Alright,” Willow said, a bit disappointed. They continued on, marveling at the strange signs of civilization deep underground.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Somewhere far away, a dark-haired girl sat in front of a portal. She was waiting for someone, but she didn’t know who. Whoever they were, she would be there when they got here. She sat down in the grass, admiring the intricately constructed archway. The columns were wrapped in dark, thorny vines with blooming crimson roses. The girl smiled. This was a style she could enjoy. After a while, she impatiently stood up and walked toward the portal. She called into the archway, but there was no response. She kicked the column in frustration and called again. She still didn’t get a response, but she saw something flicker in the swirling mist.

“Hello?” Her tiny voice called out and was swallowed. The thing flickered again, and she saw a face this time. She squinted hard, trying to see who it was.

“Sister…” she mumbled, unsure. “Winona?” The face disappeared and she reached into the mist to try and get her back. As she did, one of the vines snapped around her arm. She screamed as the thorns cut into her and pulled her backwards. More wrapped around her other arm and held her to the ground. She wiggled to try and get free, but it only make the cuts open wider.

“Help! Somebody!” She gritted her teeth against the pain and tried to stop moving. When she looked up again, she was on a stage, taller than before. A cheering audience roared as more vines wrapped around her waist. She grunted in pain and looked up at the man beside her. His face was obscured; his focus was on the cheering audience. She begged, pleaded for him to help her, but the scene was frozen. She lowered her head again, breathing hard. The lights shone brighter and brighter; all she could see were the wood planks beneath her. Suddenly, everything went dark.

Charlie was once again back in the field, sans portal. An inhuman figure made of shadow stood before her. She gazed up at them pleadingly, tears running down her face. The being stepped closer to her. It pointed toward her chest, and a little ball of shadow floated toward her. It disappeared through her skin, and she felt a chill as it passed through her. The being vanished, and she was left only a moment to wonder what had happened before she began to cough. The first contraction of her throat caused pain to explode inside. She could feel an obstruction in her throat and coughed desperately to free it. Her throat hurt more and more, and her coughs quickly mingled with cries of pain. She struggled to take a shuddering breath, and when she coughed again, blood dripped past her lips. Her eyes widened as she continued to retch up blood. The noise coming from her mouth was inhuman as she screamed and begged for it to stop. Her eyes blurred and the drops of blood pouring from her mouth looked like rose petals. One particularly heavy cough forced out the cause of the bleeding; a dark, thorny vine. It grew further past her mouth, blooming with roses the color of blood. Charlie could no longer breathe at all, her lungs filled with thorns and blood. She thought back to the time she had caught pneumonia as a kid and liquid filled her lungs. That was nothing compared to this; her diaphragm spasmed in an attempt to draw air into her destroyed lungs. She lost consciousness, then saw herself from outside her body. The sight horrified her; tangled black thorns poured out of her dead mouth, covered in shiny red blood. The roses that bloomed on them were the most beautiful she had ever seen. She screamed, and the world went black again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this went in all kinds of directions. i promise im working toward the ending, i just had to get a few more torture scenes in cause....idk i like writing pain for catharsis. enjoy!


	11. The Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is a total coincidence that I finished chapter 11 on 11/11 lol, this will be the final one. I'm honestly shocked i actually finished a story, and that it got so long, but I had a lot of fun writing it. hope some people enjoyed it as much as i did :)

Wisp was exhausted by the time the rock underfoot changed into something more like constructed tile. Wendy looked like it too, but it took some convincing to get Wilson to stop. A few strange houses shaped like monkeys that seemed to be housing said creatures were scattered here and there. The three sat against the nearby crumbling walls to rest. Wilson did perk up with interest as he turned a yellow stone fragment over in his hands.

“This must be thulecite! There’s a lot more of it down here than I expected.”

“What’s thul…thulo…what is it?” Wisp barely understood the strange word.

“It’s a type of stone that can conduct nightmare fuel, like how gold conducts electricity. Maxwell told me about it, he said there are machines down here that have knowledge of how to build things from this. The potential in this stuff is almost limitless!” He seemed momentarily distracted from his worry as he examined the thulecite.

“Let’s hope it does not have the same effects as the nightmare fuel,” Wendy said coolly. “Power like that can corrupt even the strongest.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Wisp reassured her. Nevertheless, he took the stone out of Wilson’s hands before he could move on to some of his “experiments”. Wilson pouted, but then looked far off in the distance.

“What is it?” Wisp turned around to see what he was looking at. Behind them, a large crack in the ground began spilling red light onto the surrounding structures. The floor seemed to respond to it, the tile glowing a similar hue. “Uh oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Wendy asked.

“You want the good news or the bad news first?”

“Bad.”

“We’re going to need to run very soon. I saw this happen when Charlie showed me Maxwell. The good news is this probably means we’re getting closer.” A shiver ran down his spine as he watched the nearby monkeys transform into shadowy reflections of themselves. The creatures snarled and rushed towards them.

“Run!” Wilson grabbed Wendy’s hand and dragged her along as Wisp sprinted after them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Winona and Willow were not faring much better. The monkeys were hot on their trail, and had been for a surprising amount of time.

“When are these stupid things going to get tired?!” Willow panted.

“There!” Winona grabbed her and steered her to a decorated pillar. She had noticed a damaged part of the stone, with a bit of rock forming a small ledge just above them. Winona charged ahead and jumped as high as she could, barely managing to grab the ledge with her fingertips. Willow rushed around the pillar to dodge the monkeys below her as she grunted and pulled herself up. There was barely enough room to sit, but it was enough.

“Willow! Grab on!” she called. The woman jumped and grabbed onto her extended hand, her feet scraping against the stone trying to get a grip. She yelped as a monkey below scratched at her ankle, but not enough to grab hold. Slowly, Winona heaved her up onto the ledge, out of reach of the monkeys.

“Look out!” Willow kicked at a monkey that had started climbing up, breaking Winona out of her exhausted haze. The monkeys were easily climbing the rock to reach them, but they had a good position to kick down at them and send them flying. A few crumpled to the ground, while the rest stopped climbing and snarled at them from the ground.

“I think…they’ve given up,” Willow panted.

“For now at least.” Winona leaned back as much as she could on the narrow ledge and wiped sweat from her brow.

“How were you able to pull me up all that way? I thought for sure I would be able to get a foothold to climb.” Willow leaned back as well, fanning herself as much as she could with her hands.

“Heh, try working with those machines down at the Voxola factory. You’ll get strong quick.” She laughed.

“Well, normally I don’t like being outdone, but I like a girl strong enough to carry me,” Willow chuckled.

“Keep picking fights with monkeys and I’ll have plenty of opportunity to carry you.” Winona bumped her arm against Willow’s flirtatiously. “Actually don’t, I feel like I could pass out right here.”

“Yeah. I don’t see how we’re going to make it far with theses things chasing us the whole way.”

“We could wait it out. Maybe this creepy stuff is temporary; it wasn’t like that when we got here.”

“Worth a try, I guess, since we’re safe up here.” Willow’s breathing finally began to slow, and she slumped against Winona’s shoulder. “You’re sweaty.”

“You’re one to talk,” Winona laughed lightly and combed her fingers through Willow’s hair.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh, great! Now there’s these guys!” Wisp groaned as a terrorbeak joined the shadowy monkeys in chasing the three of them. Wilson had somehow pulled Wendy up onto his shoulders to keep her from falling behind. It would be cute if they weren’t about to die.

“We can’t keep going like this!” Wilson shouted.

“I know! I’m trying to think of something!”

“Wait, you can fly!”

“Oh shit, I can!” Wisp mentally kicked himself then took off, stirring the damp underground air probably for the first time in years. It was hard to see with the minimal lighting, but he could make out red lights dotted across the landscape, and faint movements in the darkness. He was safe for now, but that meant little to his friends down below, still running for their lives. He dashed forward to keep up with the flickering torchlight.

“I don’t know what to do from up here!” He shouted as he swooped down low toward Wilson.

“Take Wendy!” Wisp nodded and hoisted her up by the shoulders. The girl nonchalantly turned her head to look up at him.

“This is going poorly.”

“Yes, I know! Gah, this is so frustrating,” he growled. Wilson was able to put on a burst of speed which bought him a little more time. He could feel Wendy flinch in his arms as a monkey got close enough to swipe at Wilson and he cried out in pain. Abigail circled frantically around Wendy to try and keep them both in the light. “Okay, new plan. We hide until this blows over.” He searched for a place high enough to rest safely, but they were moving too fast to stay in the circle of light for him to see anything.

“I might have enough tinder to light a very small blaze,” Wendy said.

“I don’t know if that will be enough. We could risk going in the dark, but even if the grue is gone, I could crash into something.”

“Perhaps there is your answer.” Wendy pointed as best she could off in the distance. Near one of the red lights was a smaller, whiter one moving around.

“That might be the others! We could meet up with them and maybe be able to take on this horde together!” He swooped down lower. “Wilson, there’s a light up there! Take Wendy, I can try to fly up ahead and guide you there.”

“Let me down to the ground, I can keep up.” Wendy hit the ground running, worryingly able to easily keep up with a slow, tiring Wilson.

“Won’t it be dark? You could get killed,” Wilson called up.

“I don’t think so, it looks like a pretty straight shot. It’s a risk, but it’s our only option.”

“Okay….go…..” He no longer had the breath to speak and run. Wisp patted his head lightly, the only physical reassurance he could offer. Taking a deep breath, he rose, then plunged into darkness.

Wisp had never flown so fast in his life. Not even when battling the moose goose. He couldn’t tell if the rush of wind was his own displacement of the air, or something worse rushing towards him. There was no familiar smell of roses, so that was something at least, but he wasn’t sure if that was Charlie’s thing. With a final burst of speed, he dove toward the nearest red light. He was still a small distance away from where he saw the light, but it was close enough the he could follow it. He sprinted across the dark gaps between the light, yelling as he kept brushing against things he wasn’t sure were real. He did have to dive to the ground as another solid terrorbeak snapped at him, then got up and continued running. He had momentarily lost track of the light and looked left and right, panicking.

Suddenly, something brighter than the shadows came rushing at his face. His reflexes barely kicked in in time, and he fell painfully to the ground right in front of a stone that was emitting that red light. He twisted around, throwing his hands up to protect himself for whatever had just attacked him, but froze when he saw a wild-looking Maxwell with a club raised to strike. The tall man froze as well.

“Oh, it’s you.” He lowered his hands, breathing heavily. “Sorry, I thought you were one of the shadows.”

“Oh my goodness, you’re alive!” Wisp scrambled to get up, and Maxwell offered a hand to help. As soon as he got to his feet he hugged Maxwell, gently so as not to overwhelm him. “I’m so sorry for leaving, I wanted to help but I thought I would only make things worse, I shouldn’t have let this happen to you!” The magician pushed him gently off as Wisp was starting to cry.

“At least you’re here now. Wasn’t it you who told me that was what was more important?” He hesitantly placed a hand on Wisp’s shoulder, one of the few times he had ever initiated physical contact with the boy.

“I…yeah. I still feel awful though.” He sniffled.

“Well, get used to it.” Maxwell smiled slightly. “Where are the others? Charlie separated us as soon as she could, I have no idea what happened to them.”

“Oh, they’re all fine. Well, maybe, but the point is I got them all out okay.”

“What do you mean maybe?” He raised his voice.

“Wilson and Wendy are back there, running from the shadows. I came over to see what your light was, I thought it might be help.”

“I’m not really in fighting shape, but I’ll get them out.” He jogged forward in the direction Wisp pointed with determination. Wisp flew up occasionally to find the distant torchlight and guided Maxwell back toward them. They nearly ran in to each other; Maxwell rushed past a very surprised Wilson and swiped at the horde of shadow monkeys with his club. It did a surprising amount of damage, and a few hits in the monkeys realized it was a losing battle and scattered. Maxwell limped over with a bloody nose, but otherwise okay.

“Maxwell! You…but Charlie..how…” Wilson was so out of breath he could barely speak. Wendy was lying flat on the ground, catching her breath as Abigail hovered over her.

“I don’t know how much you know, but she tried sending me to Them.” Maxwell leaned against a nearby wall, resting some of his weight on the club as he spoke. “I thought I would be dead within minutes, but They wanted to take their time. I guess I pissed them off by helping to try and stop Charlie. Wisp, you showed me once in the Codex that there was an entity that reigned over all of Them?”

“Yes. I don’t think the writer knew what exactly it was.”

“I met it. I still don’t know what it was.” He shuddered and held his arms closer to his chest. “It spoke to me and I couldn’t understand a word, its voice was like….like nothing that should exist. It hurt, a lot.” Wilson opened his mouth to speak, but Maxwell held up a hand to stop him. “Let me finish. I wandered around for a long time, at least it felt like it. I ended up in this place that seemed to be the ruins of these people. That ancient civilization gave rise to Them, some carvings detailed some great calamity happening, but no other clue as to what happened to them. It was bad, whatever it was. I think that’s why they want us here, to suffer as they have.” He smiled bitterly. “They’ve succeeded in that much. Charlie took her anger out on everyone, when she should have just been angry at me. I apologize to all of you for leading you into this. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.” He looked down, deflated. Wilson walked over to him and looked up at the taller man.

“I’m glad you apologized. You know I’ve forgiven you long ago, right?”

“So you’ve said, several times. I still don’t deserve it, especially after this.”

“Don’t you dare. Not anymore, I’m done with it.” The others watched in surprised as Wilson suddenly became angry. “I spend all of this time trying to make things better for you, I spend time with you so you don’t have to be alone, I come all this way, worrying the whole time, and it’s this again? You have no idea how scared I was! Wisp said he saw you being tortured, and I had to sit by and wait! We all care for your well-being, but I can’t stand seeing you broken again. So stop refusing to forgive yourself!” Surprised, Maxwell was speechless after Wilson finished shouting at him. Finally, he chuckled.

“You’re too kind for your own good, pal.” He brought the smaller man in for a hug. Wilson buried his face in his chest and held him tight. Wisp could see Maxwell failing to fight back tears. As they pulled away, Wendy walked up to Maxwell and reached up to place her hand over his.

“We’re glad you’re alright, uncle.”

“You knew? How long?”

“A few months after we met. You look different from the uncle Will Abigail and I remember.”

“I’m afraid I have to say he no longer exists. I’ve almost forgotten that man you knew.”

“I understand. This world has changed us all.” She gave him a rare smile. “Still, I’ll always recognize family.” He knelt down to her level.

“I’m so sorry you lost Abigail.”

“We will be together again someday. Besides, this place has offered us a chance to preserve our connection. I do not regret taking your offer to come here.”

“That makes one of you.” Wilson laughed at his weak attempt at sarcasm, it did fall rather flat when he had tears falling down his face. He wiped them away and stood up. “Um, right. Should we head back up to the surface?”

“We still need to find Winona and Willow,” Wilson said. Maxwell grimaced.

“You didn’t all have to come down here.”

“Trust me, I stopped some people from following us,” Wisp said. “I’ll see if I can spot them from the air.” He took off and scanned the darkness for any change. The red light was starting to fade, providing even less visibility. There was a slight flicker in the distance, however. He landed and faced the direction he saw it. “This way.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The caves had finally calmed down, and Winona and Willow jumped to the ground.

“Do you have any idea where we are?” Winona asked.

“Sort of. I know we came from that way.” She pointed.

“I thought it was that way?”

“Uh oh.” Willow groaned. “We’re lost.”

“It’s okay, we just have to circle back and find the end of the tile floor. We aren’t that far from where the biome changed.”

“Let’s try this direction.” Willow lead the way somewhere between where they each thought the right way was.

“I don’t think we’re going to find Maxwell at this rate. I don’t even know what that place Wisp described is supposed to look like.”

“Yeah, this looks similar but I don’t think there were supposed to be monkeys.”

“Do you think Charlie is down here too?” Winona tried sounding less worried than she was.

“Maybe. Either way, I know we’ll find her. We did it once before, right?”

“Yeah, I hope…” After a distance longer than the change in scenery should have been, they were in a darker area with more violet in the stone below them.

“Uh, okay, this is new.” Willow walked up to a nearby pile of twisted metal. “Are these supposed to be those clockworks?”

“I think so. They’ve not been active in a long time.” Winona searched through the pile of scrap and pocketed a few gears and wires. “I wonder if I could get one of them working…”

“Maybe later.” Willow investigated a nearby statue. It looked like it was made of the same yellow stone as the walls, and it had a vaguely bug-like shape. “Ew, these guys are ugly.”

“That doesn’t look like anything we’ve seen so far,” Winona pointed out.

“Think it has something to do with Maxwell’s creepy book?”

“If it does, we might be headed in the right direction.” Winona led the way further into the unfamiliar ruins. They passed what looked like regular household items, but they were crumbling into pieces. Even stranger were the structures that lit up red, dimming and brightening every few minutes. They had to run away from more shadows, but they fought back a few since there were a lot less. The next time they found one of the statues, it was leaking what looked like nightmare fuel.

“Okay, that’s terrifying.” Willow shivered. “Why is this all even here?”

“It’s clearly ruins, but I don’t know what of. Maybe a workshop?”

“Or some weird cult.”

“Mmm.” Winona was distracted by a nearby crack in the ground. They had just killed the shadow creature that came from it, but she had a strange feeling looking at it. She stepped carefully closer, trying the look into the hold while keeping her distance. “Hey, Willow, come look at this.”

“What?” She moved over to look where Winona was.

“I think something’s down there.”

“Nope, nope, not looking at that.” Willow dragged her backward. “That’s definitely going to mess with your head.”

“What if it’s useful though?”

“Winona, dear, I admire your resourcefulness, but this stuff has led to nothing but trouble.”

They were interrupted by a cry in the distance.

“Huh? What was that?” Willow looked around. Winona, on the other hand, instantly focused in on the sound.

“That sounded like Charlie!” She ran towards the noise.

“Hey, wait!” Willow ran to keep up with her. The engineer weaved around broken structures, recklessly diving deeper into the caves. “Winona, that could be a trick!”

“But I have to find her if it isn’t!” They both kept running, suddenly screeching to a halt as they saw a massive hole in front of them. It looked like one of the natural drop-offs of the stone islands most of the caves were made up of, but this felt entirely different. It was as if they were gazing into the void itself. Willow clutched Winona’s arm tightly.

“We need to go.” He voice wavered. “Please.” She cowered back into Winona’s shoulder. Winona was breathing heavily and shaking.

“What the hell…” The cry caught her attention again. Farther down the path around the hold, there were several curved stone spikes sticking out of the ground, forming a cage of sorts. Inside was a trembling Charlie, curled up on the ground. “Charlie!” Winona rushed over, leaving Willow, and knelt down in front of her sister. “Hey, are you okay?”

Her eyes were closed. She seemed to be asleep, or in some sort of trance. She curled in closer and whimpered. Winona tried to reach into the cage, a brief flash of memory hit her of when Charlie used to have night terrors, but a field of energy inside the stone zapped her. Winona leaned her head against one of the spikes, frustrated at seeing her sister so close, yet so far. Willow kneeled down next to her, still shaky.

“We need to get out of here, something bad is going to happen, I can tell.”

“Not without her.”

“I don’t think we can get her out.”

“Bullshit. She’s my little sister. It’s my job to take care of her. I’m not leaving until we figure out a way.” The sound of footfalls on stone began and grew louder behind them, and Wisp, Wilson, Wendy, rushed in with a ragged Maxwell behind them.

“Guys! You’re all okay!” Willow ran forward to greet them with hugs. “We found Charlie, but she’s trapped.”

“What?” Wilson and the others clamored around the small stone cage.

“It won’t let me even reach in.” Winona demonstrated with a wince of pain.

“Okay, so, there’s magic involved.” Wisp inspected the cage. “Maybe we could break the stone somehow?”

“I doubt it,” Maxwell said dryly. “They wouldn’t make it that easy.” Suddenly, Charlie opened her eyes and sat up, and the cage disappeared around her. Winona smiled, but immediately looked in horror as she saw that her eyes were blacked out.

“So, you managed to find her. We’re surprised, honestly.” A thousand voices came from her mouth at once, echoing around the walls and piercing everyone’s ears. “But your time in the caves is over. Go, now, to your place in the world above.” Everyone had to take a moment to recover. Willow spoke first, ever the bold one.

“What do you mean?”

“Your game of hide-and-seek is over. We’ve grown tired of watching you wander around in the dark. Here, we’ll even show you the way so you can leave faster.” A line of black flame grew back down the path.

“No, we’re not leaving until Charlie is okay.” Winona glared at the body of her sister. “What the hell did you do to her?”

“She is our mouthpiece. The first we’ve had in a long time. Most couldn’t stand it, but this ‘Charlie’ has spent a long time in the darkness. She is accustomed to it in a way you would never understand.”

“What? No, that’s crazy. I know she’s changed, but I saw her real self, back in the throne room. You were watching that, weren’t you?” she snapped back at Them.

“Yes, a momentary lapse of our control. The silly thing had no idea she was doing exactly as we wanted. She thought it was all her own thoughts.”

“And what is it that you want?” Wisp spoke up. Them in Charlie’s body snapped her head over to him.

“Ha, the little moon prince. It’s been very entertaining seeing you down here, trying to play at being a human. Fortunately for you, you won’t be going back to the moon ever again.”

“Why?” A cold feeling settled in Wisp’s stomach.

“This mouthpiece gives us even greater control over the world. We were even able to break the rules of the game and remove the throne. Rest assured, your moon won’t be around much longer.”

“Couldn’t you do whatever you wanted before?” Wilson asked in an accusatory tone. “You certainly didn’t have any problem forcing Maxwell to do what you wanted.” Said Maxwell was frozen in place, too afraid to draw any attention to himself.

“Sure, we could control this land as we wished. But it has existed long before us, built by something much older than you could comprehend.” Charlie’s face contorted into rage. “It reduced us to this. This endless void of shadows, unable to separate ourselves from each other. It took eons to learn to think together, enough to form any coherent thoughts.” Charlie grinned a wide, unsettling grin. “But we’re better now. More in control. This land thought it could take away our technology, our power by taking away our individual minds. But we’ve become something stronger now.”

“What do you even want?” Wisp asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? Control. Absolute control over every rock, every blade of grass of this place. Watching you all scramble around to try and stop what we want is so incredibly _fun_.” The thing inside Charlie giggled, an overwhelming sound that echoed in the mind long after it stopped. “Sure, there were rules that were in place, but those limitations almost made it better. We required a human to act through, so we created the throne to imprison someone to interact directly with the world. It was certainly interesting seeing what they would do, what selfish agendas they would try to push.” They turned toward Maxwell. “You were especially inventive, all those creatures you made for us? We were almost in awe of your creative prowess. But it got boring after a while.” Charlie looked down at herself. “This vessel was powerful enough to break the throne. She made the world even more hostile, even more fun. Switching up the game on you looked like it was really affecting you.” She laughed again. “Tell us, what was it like, now able to die over and over again? Did you get used to it? Or was it just as painful each time?” The survivors were still frozen, minds reeling from that horrifying laugh.

“What if…what if we gave you something in exchange for Charlie?” Wisp stammered.

“And what, exactly, could you possibly have that we would want?”

“I have…moon powers? I could give you those.”

“That’s ridiculous!” They laughed again. “Even if you could, what would we do with them?”

“You were the one saying you liked breaking rules. Maybe I could. And I don’t know what you would do with them, but I’m sure you’ll figure out something fun with a new toy like that.”

“Hmm, maybe you could be right.” Hope grew in Wisp’s chest. Maybe they could all make it out of this! He would lose him connection with the moon, but it would be worth it to save all his friends.

“But, no, we aren’t interested in the moon. We’re getting rid of it as soon as we can, it’s too bright.” His heart sunk.

“You could take me.” Maxwell finally spoke, with a surprising amount of confidence. “You like seeing me suffer, right? Let me take her place.”

“No, I’m not letting you do that!” Wilson objected.

“You don’t get to ‘let’ me do anything.”

“I did not save your ass just to let you throw your life away!”

“Stop your useless bickering,” They shut them both up. “We don’t want you, old man, you’ve run your course. And you’re too weak to be able to channel all of us, not like her.” Charlie pressed a hand to her own face, almost admiringly. “No, she’s far too good to let go. So much darkness in her heart…”

“You shut up about her! You don’t know who she is!” Winona shouted and lunged forward at Them. Chaos broke out as Willow fought to keep her back, Maxwell and Wilson started arguing, Wendy trying to get their attention, and Wisp stood in the middle of it all, in shock as he watched everything fall apart. This was it. Winona would lose her sister, They would find new ways to torment everyone, and he would either die or live in eternal suffering with everyone else. He wasn’t sure which would be worse.

Suddenly, a rumble as strong as an earthquake shook the caves. Everyone fell silent only for a moment as a voice echoed from the pit. It was deep, incomprehensible, and painful. Cries of pain came from everywhere at once, the loudest scream from Charlie. Wisp had thought Their laugh was bad, but the shriek combined with the voice from below made him cry louder. For a long, torturous moment, the world was only sound and pain, and then it stopped. He vaguely registered a mass of shadows flying in all directions from Charlie’s body, but all focus was on the pit now. It was still pitch black, but he could see something moving down below. It was massive, yet incredibly slow. The shifting blackness looked less like an individual body part moving and more like the rippling of fur, or breathing. One long, continuous motion as whatever was below moved with a slowness born out of being older than time itself. Wisp knew now why the Codex failed to describe this thing. It was creation itself, a feeling more than a tangible being. But what tangibility it had was forming a voice that was unbearable to hear, and all the survivors were on the ground, incapacitated.

No one could speak, even after the sound stopped. Wendy tried rolling over to move closer to someone, anyone, but she was shaking so badly that she couldn’t. Even Abigail was frozen, trembling in place like light reflecting off a lake. Wisp tried twitching his wings, and found with relief that he could. He slowly tried to get up, but his body felt as though it were coming undone. The beginnings of another rumble shook through the room, as though the creature was drawing breath. He didn’t think anyone could survive that again. Somewhere in the back of his head, he wondered how Maxwell had lived through hearing this voice. As Wisp finally found enough stability to lift himself onto all fours, he closed his eyes and wished he was back on the moon, and that all of this was a bad dream. He would later regret wishing he had never met the survivors, but in the moment all he could think about was the fear of that thing in the pit.

“Please, no…” he breathed. To his surprise, the rumbling weakened slightly. “Can…can you hear me?” Slowly, painstakingly slowly, he felt a sense of acknowledgement, of recognition. _Oh. _This felt familiar in a way he never would have thought. The wave of feeling that he felt through the ground met him in the same way he heard the moon speak to him. _They speak the same language_. The thing in the pit spoke a lot slower than the moon, but sure enough it was the same, communicating without a voice. The creature had just begun its next movement, when Wisp sent down his own speech.

“Wait.” It listened, and stopped. “Why are you moving? Weren’t you asleep?” A vague confirmation. “You don’t have to wake up. You can just go back to sleep. Everything is fine up here.” Wisp noticed Wilson staring at him, his eyes lighting up the same way they did when he made some new discovery.

“Go on, just go back to sleep.” A deep rumble shook the room, and Wisp got the impression that it had yawned. He wondered how big its mouth would be. “It’s still quiet up here. Just like nighttime. Go back to sleep.” He spoke aloud, trying to sound soothing and calm. After an excruciatingly long moment, the movement beneath his hands stopped. A rush of wind came up from the pit, an exhale, a sigh. Then, silence.

Everyone lay still, not wanting to break the sudden peace. The silence was broken by Wisp collapsing back on the floor, the exertion of talking to something bigger than the whole moon taking its toll. Wilson shuffled over, crawling weakly close enough to lay his head down in front of Wisp.

“I have so many questions.” Behind him, Maxwell snorted with laughter. “Hey! We should know this kind of stuff, it could come in handy later.” Maxwell laughed harder than he ever had before, filling the silence with the joy of relief. A few other faint giggles echoed him. Wendy rolled over and curled up against Willow, finding comfort in her warmth. Willow smiled, and stretched her hand out to meet Winona’s, entwining her fingers through hers. Maxwell had gained the energy to sit up, still laughing, and pulled Wilson’s head into his lap.

“You are the most absurd human being I have ever met.”

“That’s good, right?” Wilson looked fondly up at him, able to move now but relaxing into his cozy position.

“I haven’t decided yet.” He flicked a lock of Wilson’s hair into his face. Slowly, everyone was able to realize that they weren’t about to die, and got up and moved again. It took Charlie a long time to wake up, but when she did, Winona was at her side.

“Hey there, sleepyhead.”

“What happened?” Charlie sat up slowly, her hair falling out of its styled updo.

“A lot. You kinda got possessed for a moment there, but the important thing is everyone’s okay.”

“That’s good,” Charlie mumbled, clearly not coherent enough to process. “I’m really hungry for some reason.”

“That’s probably because you were an evil queen for a while,” Winona deadpanned. Willow rolled her eyes.

“I guess it’s a good thing that you’re able to joke about it so soon.”

“Oh I’m mostly forcing myself not to think about it. I’ll have time to process it all later.”

They made their way back through the cave, finding some bananas to eat along the way. They weren’t very good and tasted underripe, but it still felt nice to have that basic need fulfilled. The sun was a welcome, if not overwhelmingly bright, sight to see as they emerged from the cave. Wigfrid was the first to spot them, leaning on a makeshift crutch as she gathered some flowers just outside the camp.

“They have returned victorious!” she shouted back toward the camp, making to run for it.

“Hey! Stop that, you’re going to mess up your fractures!” Wisp chased after her, forcing her to walk at a slower pace. Laughing, they all made their way back to camp.

The reunion of so many people was about as chaotic as it sounds. People were hugging and shouting, a lot of them were confused about Charlie’s presence, but Winona stayed by her side to shut down any accusations. The former queen looked terrified, her dark eyes wide against her pale face. She didn’t speak, only clung to her sister, looking overwhelmed. Wisp tried to remember to talk to her later. The thought was lost quickly, however, when the gangly spider boy crashed into him.

“You’re okay! Everyone’s okay!”

“Yeah, we all made it out just fine!” Wisp lifted Webber up into the air and hugged him gleefully. “I sure missed you, kid.” He giggled as Wisp playfully bounced him higher. As soon as he was set down he ran back over to the twins. Wendy looked happier than he had ever seen her.

“Perhaps one day, we can go a week without you causing some sort of ruckus.” Wisp whirled around as Ms. Wickerbottom spoke quietly right behind him. He threw his arms around her, a bit to her surprise, but the older woman smiled as she held him.

“I don’t want to leave again.”

“I know. I hope you won’t have a reason too anytime soon.” She soothingly patted his back. The sun began to go down as the group slowly quieted down. Wisp felt warmer than ever; it was as though the whole unusual family was wrapped together in a blanket. By the time night fell, a big fire was roaring in the center. Everyone had silently decided to stay outside together, and many had fallen asleep on the soft grass. Winona was one of them, and Wisp noticed Charlie gently leave her side and walk outside the circle of light. He followed.

The forest just outside the camp was just bright enough to see. Wisp jogged to catch up with her as she made to walk further into the woods.

“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” She turned around as though expecting him, a sorrowful expression on her face.

“I can’t stay here. I hurt these people so much, I can’t watch them pretend it’s all okay.”

“Well, maybe, but you know Winona wouldn’t let anyone try and hurt you back. Most of them are happy to forgive. We already kept Maxwell.”

“I don’t care if they are. I’ll know that every time they look at me they’ll be thinking about it. I must have killed dozens of time in the dark, and that’s ignoring what I did to you who came to the throne room.” She trembled, her eyes tearing up. “I don’t belong here. I can’t make up for what I did, the best I can do is leave.”

“Charlie, what makes you think that’s the right thing to do?” Wisp frowned.

“What?”

“You’re being selfish. You know leaving would hurt your sister. Maxwell too, he’s tried so hard to fix his mistakes. They deserve better than you giving up.”

“Heh, I guess you’re right. Staying would hurt too much, I admit I don’t want to go through that, even for them,” she said bitterly.

“Are you afraid?” She thought for a long while.

“No. I don’t doubt that I could defend myself. I think it’s more…ashamed. You’re right, I don’t want to face what I’ve done. I guess in a way it is fear, it seems pretty cowardly.” Strangely, she smiled. “That shouldn’t stop you from being with them. Go, enjoy the time you have before They cook up something horrible.”

“Don’t.” He grabbed her hand to stop her from walking off. She looked nearly angry, but didn’t bother protesting. “We need you, I think. You were the biggest thing everyone was afraid of. If you leave, that will only make them more afraid. And besides, if They do try something, I think you’re our best chance at stopping them.”

“I’m powerless now, remember?” She held up a hand as if to demonstrate. “No throne. I’m just the same as all of you.”

“All the more reason to stay. It’d be more dangerous for you out there than with a group.” She pulled her hand away and frowned at the ground.

“It’s too overwhelming. I couldn’t handle being surrounded by people all the time, especially those I tormented.”

“You don’t have to be. Just…try.” She rolled her eyes.

“Alright, if I must.” She huffed and followed him like a pouting child. But briefly, she did smile softly up at him. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” It struck him how different she looked when she smiled for real. He could see the person Winona had missed so much underneath all the darkness.

They heard a shout when they arrived back at camp, briefly scaring Wisp.

“Stars!” Wilson yelled, running over to the two when he noticed them.

“What is it?” Wisp asked frantically.

“No, look!” He pointed upwards. “Literally, there are stars!” Sure enough, the usually dark sky was now dotted with tiny points of light. Wisp’s mouth dropped open as he stared in awe. He knew what stars were, in theory, but none of the survivor’s description of the night sky from their world could have prepared him for this. An overwhelming number of white lights flooded the sky, pooling together in clusters and waves and all sorts of other shapes. Some areas looked almost like solid light, while others displayed bigger stars like gems on velvet. Wilson was laughing gleefully and spinning around with his head tilted up.

“They look different from the ones at home!” He suddenly stopped and moved toward Wickerbottom. “Do you have any paper left?”

“A few pages, yes.” She left and returned with them, smiling at the man’s infectious enthusiasm. He ran over to the nearest wall, spread the pages out on top of the stone, and began scribbling sketches with a charcoal pencil. A rudely awakened Maxwell walked over to him.

“What, exactly, is all the fuss about?”

“Look!” Wilson barely acknowledged him and pointed up, continuing his drawings. Wisp ran over and looked over his shoulder to watch him map out the night sky. He couldn’t decide between staring at the sky and staring at the skillfully crafted drawings and diagrams.

Slowly, people shuffled over to the more open part of the camp and lay back on the ground, stargazing contentedly. WX didn’t understand what all the excitement was over, and scoffed as Winona tried explaining to them.

“These lights are useless! My optical sensors can barely pick them up.”

“That’s not the point, you bucket of bolts!” Winona teased from her place on the ground. Charlie had moved to a comfortable distance toward her sister, but seemed to be in her own world as she looked up.

“Oh, wait, I think they are actually useful!” she suddenly exclaimed. “I could see out in the forest! No full moon, or fire, but it was bright enough to chase away complete darkness.”

“Whoa, really?” Winona looked over at her, grinning.

“Yes!” Charlie sighed happily, the bitter, angry woman nearly melted away in the moment of wonder. “Remember the constellations we used to make up?”

“Ha, yeah. You always pointed out the one you said looked like a cake, and I could never see what you meant.” Willow chimed in, lying next to Winona.

“I did that too as a kid. I would look for different things, then find stars nearby that made them look like they were on fire.” Her eyes were almost glowing with the reflection of so many stars. “Who knew that the stars were _made_ of fire?” No one noticed the look of adoration in Winona’s eyes at the enamored Willow. She did, however, reach out to hold her hand, bringing it briefly to her lips before resting their entwined hands on the ground.

Wisp heard snatches of conversation from Wilson and Maxwell as he traced patterns in the stars with his eyes. He vaguely noticed their arms around each other out of the corner of his eyes and smiled. He wasn’t sure what their relationship was, but he could see the deep connection and understanding they had of one another. Wisp flopped back onto the grass and sighed contentedly. This life was one he could get used to. He waved a hello at the sliver of moon he could see in the sky, more beautiful than ever wreathed in stars.


End file.
